


For The Deaf and The Telepath

by Thearizona



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15689718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thearizona/pseuds/Thearizona
Summary: What if Hiccup had a disability that made him special in a way that nobody but a certain dragon could see? What if said dragon took him from his home to master that ability, allowing him to become who he was always supposed to be. The Dragon Master to some, the Deaf Demon Rider to others. What will happen when he is forced to confront a past that won't stop chasing him?





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Style:  
> Italics: "Thought Speech"  
> Italics: 'Thoughts'  
> Bold: Sign Language  
> "Normal Speech"

The roars of a dragon raid were heard by everybody in the village of Berk, except for one. Hiccup was in the back room at the forge that Gobber had given him, working on a new design for something that would inevitably be destroyed, not by the dragons, but by the village. Of course, he still designed it. Several minutes into the raid, Gobber came barging through the door, grabbing the young lad and pulling him into the main area and pointed at the pile of weapons that was forming on the counter. Hiccup knew what he had to do, he had been under Gobber's tutelage since he could remember, it was the only place he was wanted. There was shouting, yelling, the roar of dragons and of the fire that said beasts had started but Hiccup didn't hear any of it, leaving him in a sort of peace.

The boy was deaf, after all. Hiccup was born that way. Normally the deaf or blind would be set adrift in a basket onto the ocean and a sort of funeral was held for the child. What made Hiccup differently was when the elder, Gothi, examined him and told the Chief and his wife of the ailment, she also told them that he must live. When asked why, her response was only this, "It is the Will of the Gods that your son live, for he is to do great things in his life."

This prophecy about the boy was cemented into the minds of the Vikings when one night, about a few months after his birth, dragons broke into each house with a child in it and took them away into the night. Hiccup was the only one who was spared that fate as it was his mother Valka that was taken by the four-winged dragon and never seen or heard from again instead of him. This left Hiccup as the motherless remnant of his generation. His father, the chief, was constantly pestered to take a new wife, bare a new heir, after all, being deaf, small, and lanky were not qualities that were anywhere near desirable. Though, Stoick held out hope that his Valka was still alive, somewhere.

Despite all the challenges that he faced, Hiccup managed to grow up and become Gobber's assistant in the forge. Gobber become more a father to the deaf boy then Stoick was. He helped him learn how to read and write by showing him objects and the word for said object. The young Hiccup picked up on it faster than one would think possible and the pair even came up with a rudimentary version of sign language. Though despite how much he had accomplished in spite of his disability, he never gained any sort of acceptance from the rest of Berk. Together, the two became nigh inseparable in the forge.

The raid was about halfway over when the Night Fury appeared. Hiccup could still hear sound frequencies that were at the extreme ends of the frequency charts, despite being deaf, so he was able to hear the screech of the Night Fury long before anybody else could.

' _Oh not again'_ Hiccup thought as the screech reached his ears. Everybody else started hearing the sound a few moments later and the cries of Night Fury, get down were heard throughout the village. Gobber promptly tapped Hiccup on his shoulder before signing for him to stay put in the forge while he went out and fought. Hiccup agreed with him as he had no problems with not going outside as he wouldn't be able to hear if a dragon was sneaking up on him. Tonight was different though, he felt an inexplicable urge to go.

' _If I just keep my back to the walls I should be fine.'_ Hiccup thought as he set the last weapon in a stack on the ready rack for anybody to take and then stepped outside. Strangely enough, there was nobody outside of the forge. It was desolate, devoid of beings, human or dragon. Hiccup looked around and saw the raid was still happening, but everybody seemed to be avoiding the forge.

' _Well, this was less exciting than I thought…'_ Hiccup went to go back into the forge, but as soon as he turned he stopped dead in his tracks. Sat before him was a dragon, not just any dragon, but the one and only Night Fury.

' _Ah, crap. Of course, it's the Night Fury to find me. At least it will be quick and painless.'_ Were the last thoughts that went through Hiccup's head as he tilted his head down and prepared for the plasma blast to finish him. Only it didn't come. After a few seconds of waiting Hiccup looked up to see the dragon looking at him in curiosity and as if waiting for him to do something. For the first time since turning around, Hiccup locked eyes with said dragon. Hiccup once again felt an odd sudden urge, this one telling him to raise his hand, which he did.

The Night Fury saw the hand and growled slightly, arousing a flinch from the teen who snapped his head back, prepared for the dragon to tear into him. Though instead of the tearing and burning sensation of his arm being torn off, he felt something he had never felt before. It felt almost like leather and fish scales had a son, and that son was touching his hand. He looked up to see what it was and was surprised to see the Night Fury, eyes closed with its head leaning into his palm. It was then that a wave of nausea and dizziness hit the boy, causing him to slowly fall down to the ground. Groggily, he pried open his eyes, finding the midnight dragon had also collapsed with him.

" _What just happened?"_ Was all Hiccup could think as everything rushed back to him. A dragon, no, the Night Fury, had just let him touch it. Then he had felt something. It was as if somebody or something was knocking at the front door to his mind, wanting to be let in; it seemed as if he had let the thing in as his mind felt different.

" _What just happened is we bonded,"_ a deep, rumbling, masculine voice echoed through his mind.

" _Who is that!? Why can I hear you?"_ Hiccup responded as he shuffled into a sitting position, scrambling backwards up against the wall as he looked around to see who was talking, as it was the first voice besides his own he had ever heard.

" _Don't worry, I am not here to hurt you. I could never hurt you, you're my bonded and my rider."_ The voice once again said. Hiccup kept looking around to see who it could be but he saw nothing except for the Night Fury on the ground in front of the boy, staring at him.

" _Am I…no, I can't be talking to a Night Fury! How is this even possible!"_ Hiccup once again thought, whispering unintelligibly, still not understanding what was going on.

" _Well, you are talking to me. This is possible because I have created a mental link with you. For some reason, you are the only person I can sense I would be able to do this with. Your mind is much stronger than any other human. Let me show you what I mean; and I prefer to be called by my name, Zahnlos."_ The Night Fury, or Zahnlos, said back to the boy. Hiccup just sat there, he couldn't understand what was going on. His brain was overloaded as a stream of memories, the dragons' memories, came flooding into his mind showing him what had happened and how it had happened. Hiccup clenched his fists into the dirt, it felt hot, like his eyes were burning. It was too much for the boy, as he passed out. Zahnlos' plates flattened against his head and grabbed the boy before heading towards a cove in the forest he had seen many-a-times when he had flown around.

Unobserved to him, somebody had seen him take off with Hiccup from the forge and into the sky.

"Stoick!" The voice of Gobber rang out over the sounds of a finishing raid. Moments later, Stoick arrived at the forge.

"What is it Gobber?" Stoick asked. "Where is Hiccup?"

"That's why I called. I was on my way back to the forge when I saw the Night Fury standing outside of it." Gobber started.

"Dear Thor, Hiccup! Is Hiccup alright?" Stoick almost yelled as he gripped his friend in fear. Even though he didn't show it often, he still loved his son as he was not only his son but his only link to his lost wife, Valka.

"Well, here's the thing. The beast took off with him in its clutches." Gobber informed him. The Chief, Stoick 'Oh Hear His Name and Tremble' The Vast Haddock fell to his knees. Taken by a dragon, a Night Fury no less, he was condemned to death, just like his Valka. Gobber went to support his friend but was pushed away as he got up with a serious look on his face. Gobber knew that face, it was very similar to the face he had when Valka was taken. It was a face that meant he wanted revenge, for not only losing Valka but now Hiccup as well. Stoick the Vast was out for blood.

* * *

**Ok, so yes I know that I have another story, "Moving On" that I should be working on right now, but I got this idea in my head during my ASL class earlier today and its stuck there so I just had to write it out. Now that I have I will get back to "Moving On". I promise! So since you guys are here anyways, what do you think? I don't think I have seen this before, Deaf!Hiccup I have seen Blind!Hiccup before but not deaf.**

**I used Sam Elliot as my inspiration for Toothless's voice, so that should help some of you who wonder. And yes, I changed Toothless's name as the pair can now talk telepathically. For anybody interested, there is a special prize for anybody who can correctly identify why I picked Zahnlos for his name.**

**Semper Fi,**

**Thearizona**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Ugh, what happened?"_ Hiccup thought as he woke up from his micro-coma.

" _You passed out after I shared with you why I can talk with you and what we are to do."_ The Night Fury, Zahnlos, said.

" _What do you mean, shared? How could you share it with me! I don't remember you telling me anything."_ Hiccup said to the Night Fury in a mix of telepathic speech and hand motions as he jumped up off the ground. The dragon just looked at the boy with no emotion showing on his face. Somehow, he didn't know how Hiccup felt the animosity flowing out of the dragon after he said that. " _Well, no need to be so hostile about it!_ "

" _I am not being hostile about anything Hiccup. Though the fact that you picked up on it means some of what I tried to communicate to you got through. I guess that means we will have to try again._ " Zahnlos said as he brought himself to Hiccups level from where had been resting on the ground. " _Now Hiccup, I want you to look into my eyes._ "

" _Why would I do….that?_ " Hiccup asked as he turned to look at the dragon, looking into its eyes during the turn. Instantly he couldn't turn or look away as if he was ensnared by the dragon's gaze. Hiccup felt the pressure in his head again, but this time he clamped down and tried to resist it, remembering what had happened last he felt that force. It didn't work as the force knocked down the feeble excuse of a defense that he had constructed.

" _Do not worry little one, it is only me."_ Zahnlos' voice said, though it sounded slightly different than before. As if he was somehow closer to the boy and being muffled by something, even though the dragon himself hadn't moved. Suddenly Hiccup felt weightless before falling into a void. In an instant, he found himself someplace he had never seen before. It looked perfect. It was the fields of Berk and up on a small hill was a house with a forge attached to it. Hiccup instantly recognized it; it was the place that he had dreamed and imagined would be his house someday once he was older and stronger.

' _I knew it. I'm dead. This is Fólkvangr right, where my dreams come true until Ragnarok happens? What did I do to come here? I didn't die in combat unless I was fighting that Night Fury,'_ Hiccup thought as he looked around the place.

" _You're not dead little one, we are simply in your mind,"_ Zahnlos said as he materialized right in front of the boy, causing him to jump back in surprise.

" _How? What? I just…..What?"_ A confused Hiccup said as he fell to the ground, landing in a sitting position as he tried to handle the information. " _What do you mean by, we are in my mind? How can we be in my mind? More specifically, how are you here?"_

" _I can be here because we bonded, it happened the moment we touched back in the village. That bond opened up a dormant part of your mind which connected to my mind. There is now a mental link between the two of us"_ Zahnlos explained to the confused boy. "Do you understand what I just told you or do I have to go more into detail?"

" _Did I just…no, I couldn't have actually heard you talk with my own ears,"_ Hiccup exclaimed.

"But you did. Why don't you try talking aloud instead of using our mental link?" Zahnlos said while making an encouraging nod with his head.

"How is this possible?" Hiccup asked after a few moments of concentration. He knew how to say some words as Gobber had taught him, but he found that he was able to talk just fine here.

"How you can talk perfectly despite not knowing how to very well or how can you hear?"

"I don't care about speech; how can I hear?"

"Short answer, it's because we are in your mind and anything is possible here," Zahnlos explained. "Now do you understand how we are here?"

"Something about a mental link between the two of us?"

"Correct, when we bonded by the forge it created a mental link. Think of it as a bridge that connects our two minds and at each end of the bridge is a door. Now you can control how open the door is, from just letting us talk to emotions and all the way up to sharing memories, which is what I tried to do when you passed out earlier. I didn't realize you would pass out, I'm sorry Hiccup," Zahnlos explained, slightly lowering his head in apology.

"If that's the case, then why don't we get everybody to bond with a dragon and end the fighting?" Hiccup asked, a bit of excitement leaking into his voice.

"It doesn't work that way little one, you are special, they one that I have been looking for my whole life. You are the only one who has the ability to bond with a dragon like this. Now to explain how I know that, I would like to take you into my mind and show you my memory's. it's a lot easier and less straining on me to show you there then have to project them here. Now if you please take your place on my back so I can take you to mind, my rider," the dragon spoke before motioning for Hiccup to climb onto his back just behind the dragon's head. Hiccup did as instructed and as soon as he was on, they took off and climbed straight up. After a few moments, instead of climbing up, they started diving down towards the ground.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Hiccup said as they got closer to the 'ground'. It was forest as far as the eye could see; a forest in full bloom with all the colors as bright and vibrant as ever. As they leveled out they quickly came to a large mountain and flew into an opening and landed. Hiccup got off Zahnlos and started to look around.

"Hiccup, please come sit and pay attention. This is what I wanted to show you" the Night Fury exclaimed as he brought Hiccup's attention to the back wall. Once Hiccup had sat down, Zahnlos laid behind him and allowed the boy to use him as a backrest. Once they had settled a haze started to appear near the back wall and quickly turned into an image. It was of two Night Fury's, one older and one younger.

"Who is that?" Hiccup asked.

"That is my mother and I about a month after my birth. Now watch." Came the explanation as they both turned to watch the image.

"Momma, why don't you let me go play with the other hatchlings?" A young Zahnlos asked his mother.

"Because dear, you're not like the rest of the hatchlings. There is something special about you that nobody can know about. You have an ability and are the one that the elders have heard during the communions with Draco." His mother explained to him.

"What's so special about me momma?"

"You will be the first of our kind to bond with a human. In doing so, the two of you will bring a change onto this world like no other. I will explain it to you when you are older." His mother said to him. After that, the image dissolved and was replaced by another one of an older Zahnlos with an unknown Night Fury who was older than his mother.

"It is time for you to find your path now Zahnlos. Remember, once you find your bonded human take him to the Dragon Sanctuary. One of the last Bewilderbeasts alive resides there and he will help train you and your human companion on how to use your abilities." The older Night Fury said as Zahnlos meanly nodded at him before spreading his wings to take off. "May Draco smile on you and may the wind be always at your back."

"Thank you, Father." Was all Zahnlos said before taking off into the sky. After watching that the image faded away.

"I understand now; we are to end this war together…" Hiccup said.

"Correct, now I suggest we get going. The Sanctuary is a good distance away from here and you need all the rest you can get."

"How do we get out of here?" Hiccup asked.

"Just imagine yourself back out of your mind and in the real world," Zahnlos said just before his form dissolved and disappeared and Hiccup found himself back in his own mind. He did as he was told and imagined himself back in the real world. He felt a slight tingle and when he opened his eyes he was back in the real world, in the cove that Zahnlos had taken him to. The dragon once he noticed Hiccup was back in the real world, lowered himself so Hiccup could climb on. Once he did they took off into the sky and turned north, leaving Berk in their wake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there folks, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. So I introduce the use of sign language in this chapter, it will be in Bold with no quotes around it. Just a note to you guys so you don't have to figure it out once it starts. Now due to how sign language, particularly ASL, works I am writing the English translation instead of the actual meaning of what is being signed. If anybody wants to know more about it, just drop me a PM and I will explain it to you. Warning, this is exposition heavy so make sure to read it carefully.

" _Zahnlos, how long will it take for us to arrive at the Sanctuary?"_ Hiccup asked the dragon after they had left the ground and left Berk behind. They flew low of the trees away from the village so they wouldn't be spotted in the light of the rising sun. Not that the Vikings would be able to take the Night Fury down, but Zahnlos didn't want them knowing the direction the pair was going so they couldn't follow them.

" _About six hours flying time._ " The response came boomed through Hiccup's mind. Hiccup nodded as he laid down on the back of Zahnlos and got a better grip for the long flight ahead of him. Zahnlos flew as steady as he could, which for a Night Fury is incredibly smooth and steady. Having been up since early in the morning and getting knocked out, Hiccup was drowsy and a few times he even started to fall asleep on the dragons back due to how rhythmic and smooth the flight was. Whenever he would start to fall asleep, Zahnlos would wake him up so he wouldn't fall off.

" _Hiccup, we are nearing the Sanctuary. I suggest you wake up fully by the time we get there._ " Zahnlos said to the boy. Hiccup sat up as much as he could without losing his grip and being that he was laying close to the dragon, its heat was keeping him warm so when he sat up the cold air hit him square in the face, fully waking him up.

" _I'm up, I'm up. Now, what sort of welcoming party should I expect?_ " Hiccup asked.

" _Well considering I am one of the last Night Fury's in existence, I have you with me and they don't know we are coming, how we will be received is a huge unknown. Just remember to not touch any other dragon like you did me when we first meet, for it will create a bond and I'm not sure how your untrained mind will cope with having a mental link with two dragons."_ Came the response, Hiccup thought he felt some fear behind the last part, but he wasn't afraid so he just brushed it off. Hiccup rolled his eyes at the first part of the response while making a mental note about the second before he got into a position where he could stay sitting up, yet still, have a good grip on Zahnlos. They flew on for a few more minutes before the Sanctuary came into sight. Both man and dragon were astounded by what they saw; a large bluish-white structure made solely of ice. They just kept flying towards the structure, staring at it in awe before Zahnlos noticed a hole in the side that looked like an entrance.

He aimed for the hole and flew through it and after a short amount of time, the air started to warm up. It confused them as they didn't see how or why the air was warming up. They didn't have to ponder long as they soon came to the heart of the Sanctuary. Instead of more ice, rock, and a hundred or so dragons, there was green grass, vegetation, hundreds of dragons, and what looked like a small iceberg. It wasn't until the small iceberg started to move did they realize what it actually was. It was a massive dragon!

" _Who do we have here?_ " A new voice resonated through Hiccup's head as the eyes of the big dragon fell upon the pair. They just stood there and stared at him incredulously, mouths hanging slightly ajar. " _Must I repeat myself?"_

" _No majesty, my name is Zahnlos and the name of my rider is Hiccup_ _,_ " Zahnlos said to the massive dragon.

" _Majesty? What do you mean Majesty?"_ Hiccup asked, causing the giant dragon to stand and look at him with a look of pride and regality.

" _What he means, is that I am the King. Every nest has its Queen, but I am the King. Sadly, I am one of the last Bewilderbeasts in existence though._ " Came the response from the Bewilderbeast.

" _How can he hear me Zahnlos?"_ Hiccup asked with a hint of fear, for he thought that his mental link meant he could only talk with Zahnlos. Before the Night Fury could answer, the King spoke once again.

" _Your fears are unfounded; you are correct, you can only talk and be heard by him because of your mental link. Any other dragon would not be able to talk with you like this unless a similar link w_ _as_ _to be established."_

" _But we never established that link."_ Hiccup interrupted, at this point extremely confused.

" _I do not need one, for you see I am an Alpha Dragon; and as the Alpha, I do not need to establish a link to be in the mind of any dragon within the range of my mind."_ Came the response.

" _Then how are you in my mind?"_ Hiccup said, freaking out about having the King in his mind and potentially having access to his memories. " _I am not a dragon!"_

" _Disregard your fears young one, I mean you no harm and am only in your mind enough to allow the exchange of speech and thoughts. I have no interest in your memories."_ The King said in response to Hiccups unspoken fear. " _I can be in your mind because unlike other humans, your mind still has the part that allows you to talk to dragons telepathically. You have the mind and soul of a Dragon, yet the body and heart of a Viking."_

" _What do you mean? Am I the only person who has this ability?"_ Hiccup asked the large dragon, now confused about what was just said and how it applied to him.

" _Yes, you are. All humans are born with a small section of the brain that allows you to bond with dragons and hear Alpha class dragons. Most human's brains destroy that section of the brain to use it for hearing by the time they are one-year-old. I can only guess that the reason you still have that section of your brain is due to the fact that you were born deaf. Your brain was already missing that part so I think the bonding part it normal would overwrite for hearing filled up the part of your brain that would be used for hearing, making you stronger in that aspect._ " The King explained. Hiccup understood what was said, but it was still slightly confusing to him. By this time there was a crowd of dragons that had gathered to look at the newcomers.

" _Stronger? Exactly how strong am I?"_ Hiccup asked him, unaware of the gathering crowd due to him not be able to hear them.

" _Normally a human doesn't have any powers and if they do, its limited to only being able to hear and feel from one bonded dragon as that's all their mind can handle. You on the other hand; the raw potential that you have is vast, almost as much power as an Alpha and defiantly more than any other dragon I have felt, including your bonded who is quite strong as well."_ The King explained though Hiccup didn't hear the very last part about Zahnlos as he stopped listening when he heard just how powerful he was.

" _So practically, what does that mean? Can I broadcast my mind to other dragons I haven't bonded with?"_ Hiccup asked the massive dragon as more dragons landed to look at them.

" _No you cannot Little One, I did say raw strength. You have the potential for that and so much once you have been fully trained, which is what I suspect is the reason you are here?"_ Came the response as the Bewilderbeast shifted his gaze to Zahnlos, who nodded in confirmation. It was at that moment that there was a commotion amongst the assembled crowd of dragons. A Stormcutter was making its way through the crowd, shoving any dragon in its way out of the way. Of course, Hiccup didn't know any of this was happening till Zahnlos looked back and Hiccup felt anxiety come through their bond as well as a command to turn around.

Hiccup turned in enough time to see the dragon break through the ring of dragons that had surrounded them. He didn't know what breed it was and then a name, Stormcutter, and some basic facts just appeared in his head; most likely the work of the King. Hiccup had no idea that the dragons were there so he was taken by surprise by the crowd but he was caught even more off guard by the women who slide down off the back of said dragon. She was wearing armor made from leather, discarded dragon scales, and fur. For some reason, he felt like he should know them from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place them.

The women carefully walked forward, as if she wasn't sure if he was a friend or foe yet. This set Zahnlos slightly on edge and he scooted even closer to his rider and he let a low growl escaped his throat. The Stormcutter let out a growl of his own and then they started to talk in their own language of growls, hisses, and barks. Hiccup couldn't hear them and he could tell the women couldn't understand them by her looking back at her dragon as if silently asking a question once they finished talking.

" _What is it?"_ Hiccup asked the Night Fury who was standing next to him.

" _The Stormcutter,_ _Cloudjumper_ _, says his rider thinks she knows you. I told him that nobody is coming close to you yet."_ Zahnlos simply stated.

" _You overprotective lizard, both of them look familiar as well but I can't place it. Plus, what's the worst that could happen?"_ Hiccup reasoned with his dragon.

" _Fine, but I'm making it know I don't like this."_

" _If she is somebody from my past then she might know some of the sign language that Gobber and I created. I do remember him saying he based ou_ _r_ _system on an existing sign system that Gothi sometimes used."_ Hiccup told him, trying to reassure the Night Fury. He saw Zahnlos back down slightly, at least enough that he wasn't being openly aggressive but enough that he could jump in to save his rider in the blink of an eye.

 **Who are you?** Hiccup signed to the lady. He knows she saw it as her face showed surprise and a bit of confusion as if she was thinking hard about what she just saw, so Hiccup signed again. **Who are you?**

 **My name is Valka and you are Hiccup.** She signed back at him, though he could tell she was a little rusty by how rough her motions were. Her name sparked something in him, he could remember and it was driving him crazy on why he couldn't remember.

 **How do you know my name?** He signed back at her, confusion quite evident on his face as to how she knew his name.

 **Because a mother never forgets.** Hiccup didn't respond to her statement, how could he? He remembered everything now. How he had been told his mother, Valka, had been taken by a dragon during the same night that the rest of his generation had also been taken. Everyone has assumed she and the rest of the taken children were dead as why wouldn't the dragons eat them?

"How?" Hiccup asked her while signing the same thing. It was something he and Gobber had come up with if Hiccup really wanted to understand he would say one of the few words that he had learned how to pronounce. She signed it didn't matter as she seemed to just break down, starting to talk as she came rushing towards him to give her boy a hug. Hiccup sensed movement by his side and he knew it was Zahnlos moving to intercept her.

" _Settle down bud, she is my mother."_ Hiccup told him, causing the dragon to stop advancing on her but he was still on guard. Hiccup understood the reason behind why the Night Fury was being so protective of him, but he didn't know how he knew it. Valka reached him just after Zahnlos backed down and snatched Hiccup up in a tight hug, still talking. Hiccup hugged her back as he was glad he had found his mother who was happy to see him.

They stayed in the embrace for a few minutes before her dragon, Cloudjumper grunted to get the two apart. Valka released her son but stayed near him as she was so excited he had somehow found him.

 **Is this your dragon?** She asked him while gesturing towards Zahnlos. Hiccup nodded in the affirmative and she looked at Zahnlos with a sense of awe. It was then that there was more commotion from the crowd as two men wearing armor similar to Valka's walked through the crowd of dragons who were starting to disperse now that they knew a bit more about the newcomers. Zahnlos was instantly on edge but settled down slightly as Valka greeted them kindly.

" _Bud, I'm going to need you to be my ears."_ Hiccup said to his dragon as Valka and the two newcomers started talking.

" _Ok, it seems as if they are reporting on a mission to your mother,"_ Zahnlos said.

* _ **General POV***_

"How was the recon mission?" Valka asked the two men in front of her.

"It went well. The Queen didn't see or notice us as a raid had just finished so she was distracted. She did eat a Gronkle though for no reason." The one to the left with blue eyes told her.

"They raided Berk and I didn't see the Night Fury return with the group. He may have been shot down and that is why she is angry. If that's the case, then we should hurry back and hope the Berkians haven't found him yet." The man on the right with brown eyes said to Valka, neither of them noticing Hiccup and Zahnlos.

"I don't think we will have to worry about him." She said with a coy smile.

"Now why is that Valka; and why are you so happy?" The brown-eyed man asked her.

"Because he wasn't shot down. Honestly, if you two would pay a bit more attention you would have noticed who was standing behind me." She said to them with her arms crossed and with a smile on her face before they looked past her to see a boy and the Night Fury standing there.

_***Normal POV*** _

" _Why are they looking at me?"_ Hiccup nervously asked.

" _Valka just informed them that we are here, I guess they didn't notice earlier when they came in,"_ Zahnlos told him. Valka and the two men started to walk towards the pair and the two men both waved hello at Hiccup and he waved back. Hiccup could feel that Zahnlos didn't like it, but didn't do anything as he knew if Valka was friendly with them then they must be friendly. Valka introduced the two men to Hiccup and Zahnlos pointing to the larger man on the left before the smaller man on the right, forgetting she had to sign.

" _The man on the left is Mason and the man on the right is Unole._ " Zahnlos translated Valka for Hiccup. Hiccup smiled and shook their hands. Zahnlos sniffed the air to learn their scent, and smelt something else he hadn't in a long time. Before he could say anything his suspicions were held true. Two Night Fury's landed behind the men, except one was white.

" _Zahnlos?"_

" _It's …I..I can't believe it. Not only am I not the last Night Fury, but there is a White Fury as well!"_ Zahnlos said with happiness and glee obvious in his voice. The three of them started talking as Valka, Mason, and Unole walked away with Unole bringing a map out of a pouch in his armor.

" _The Night Fury's name is Specter and the White Fury's name is Penumbra. Specter is Mason's dragon and Penumbra is Unole's."_ Zahnlos said with obvious glee from meeting more of his kind.

" _If you want you can go play with them. I'm sure I can find my way around."_

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Yes, now go!"_ Hiccup confirmed to his dragon, who turned back to the other two Fury's and barked something before they ran off into the Sanctuary. Hiccup stood there for a few moments in silence as he let the events of the past day flood over him.

" _Hard day young one?"_ The king asked him.

" _You don't know the half of it_ _,_ _"_ Hiccup responded with sarcasm laced in his response.

" _This is true."_ Came the response. " _Now when shall we start your lessons"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, now who expected there to be so much exposition in one chapter? Oh I hope this all makes sense to y'all. I tried to keep in line with what had been set up in earlier chapters, but I also needed certain things to happen and be a certain way in this chapter. So some finagling over words and we get this long chapter.
> 
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	4. Chapter 4

" _Ok Hiccup, I want you to go into your mind and I will instruct you from there."_ The King said to Hiccup, who then laid down on the ground and entered his mind. He saw the same rolling fields and the same house as before, except this time there was a door standing next to his house. That was it, just the door. The door was pitch black and shimmered like the scales on Zahnlos.

" _Ok Hiccup, I want you to look up."_ The disembodied voice of the King said to him. " _And once you do, I want you to try and touch the sky."_ Hiccup didn't understand what he meant by the last part, but when he looked up at the sky he couldn't believe what he saw. Despite it being day, the sky was full of stars of all different colors.

_Maybe because this is my mind, I can bend the natural law of Midgard_ Hiccup thought to himself. He then imagined himself floating up towards the sky, thinking of the same feeling he had while riding atop Zahnlos, a feeling of freedom. To his surprise, he started to float and rise up off the ground and into the sky at a fast speed. After a few seconds, he reached the sky where he stopped raising up.

" _Good job Hiccup. You succeeded faster than I thought you would. Now there is one final step needed to view other dragon's minds. You need to punch out of your mind and into the space between minds."_ The King once again left a cryptic message with Hiccup.

_What does that mean?_ Hiccup thought, trying to understand the message. He tried going farther up but seemed to hit a barrier. He looked up and saw all the stars, now bigger and brighter than before. Hiccup then tried harder to push through the barrier and while it bent and stretched around him like a yak's gut, it did not break. Eventually, a headache set in and he had to stop pushing, and when he did the headache went away. Hiccup looked back up towards the invisible barrier, and the Viking stubbornness kicked in and he charges at it.

_I will break through this barrier_ Hiccup thought as he hit the barrier and it stretched. It stretched and stretched and the headache returned to the boy, but he persevered and kept trying to punch through the barrier. After a few more moments he felt something tear in the barrier and before he could react, Hiccup was through the barrier and rushed out into what the King had called the place between minds. He looked around and was awestruck by what he saw.

" _It's beautiful isn't it?"_ He heard the King say. " _Looking at the minds of all nearby dragons."_

" _It's...breathtaking."_ Hiccup managed to stutter out as he took it all in, realizing the 'stars' were actually a different color light coming from the hundreds of dragons that were in the Sanctuary and each dragon had their own unique color. He looked down at what would be his own mind and saw that it was a bright white, brighter than any of the other dragons and that there was some sort of a tether linking it to another mind, one that was pitch black yet shone like the brightest of stars.

" _I say that's enough for today. Tomorrow we can cover more."_ The King said to Hiccup, who agreed before sinking back into his own mind and then back out to the real world.

" _I'm curious, why are some dragon's minds brighter than others?"_ Hiccup asked him once he stood back up and looked at the great Bewilderbeast.

" _Power. The stronger the dragons mental power, the more mental prowess it possesses, the stronger their heart fire burns."_ Came the response, in the dragons' cryptic nature. " _Now I suggest you go off and find a place for you and your dragon to stay. It's going to be a long next few months for you with all the training you will go through."_ With that, the Bewilderbeast started to turn his considerable bulk away from the ledge that Hiccup was standing on and back so that he was facing the majority of the Sanctuary.

" _Wait!"_ Hiccup shouted out, causing to the Bewilderbeast to stop its turn and look back and the small teen.

" _Yes, Hatchling? What is it?"_

" _I want to ask a personal question."_ Hiccup stuttered out under the glare of the King.

" _Well go ahead, neither of us will grow any younger by you waiting."_

" _I'm not sure how I should feel about my mother being alive. I'm happy she is alive and we can be together, but at the same time I'm angry that she never came back."_ Hiccup confessed to him.

" _Let me tell you a story. Fifteen years ago a Stormcutter flew in carrying a human female in his claws and begged me to let her stay here, saying that he had taken her away from her village after she had saved a Nightmare from death, refused to attack him and he could sense something about her. I believed him as I also sensed something different about her so I allowed her to stay on the provision that he would watch her."_ The King began " _I watched as a few hours later they would bond as he was trying to get her up to his cave. Somehow they could talk mentally, but that was it and he was the only one who could bond with her in such away. She would frequently ask for him to take her back and he would always answer the same way; that it was too dangerous and her village would never change. It would take her five years of constantly being told that for her to stop asking, yet I know she always wanted to go back."_

" _Well I know the women is my mother and the Stormcutter is Cloudjumper. But how does that help me?"_ Hiccup asked, confused about what the story of how she came to the Sanctuary would help him in his decision.

" _She never gave up on trying to get back to you or your father. So don't be mad at her for being held back. Though if she had come back, your fate would have changed and we would not be standing here having this conversation."_

" _Thank you, King, for the help."_

" _You are welcome Hatchling."_ The Bewilderbeast said as he once again turned to face the nest as Hiccup also turned and took a few steps away from the edge.

" _Zahnlos, where are you?_ " Hiccup asked through their mental link.

" _I'm with Specter and Penumbra; what's wrong?"_ Came the quick response.

" _Nothing is wrong, I just finished with the King and he suggested we find a cave to call our own."_

" _Ok, Spector and Penumbra are going to help us find one since they know the way around. Be there soon Rider."_ Zahnlos said back to Hiccup after a moment. Indeed, a moment later the three Fury's landed before Hiccup. Zahnlos gestured for Hiccup to get on so Hiccup climbed onto Zahnlos and they took off into the air with Spector and Penumbra in the lead. They soon came to a medium-sized cave that looked to be carved out by a Whispering Death. Once they landed Hiccup got off Zahnlos and they walked into the cave together as the other two Fury's took off. In the back, there was a small hole that could be used as a fire hole to cook with. There was a good level of light streaming in through the cave mouth and some random ice fissures that broke up the ceiling.

_This could work_ Hiccup thought as he started looking over things and thinking about what he would need to make it livable for him.

" _So Hiccup, what do you think?"_ Zahnlos asked his rider.

" _This could work very well with only a small amount of work. I will need some furs to keep warm while I sleep so we should leave to find those…"_

" _Nonsense! You shall sleep in my wings for as long as it takes to acquire those furs."_ Zahnlos interrupted the boy.

" _Ok then. Do you mind if we get some sleep now then? It's been a long twenty-four hours."_ Hiccup asked as he turned to look at the Dragon standing next to him.

" _Of course."_ Came the reply as Zahnlos laid down and motioned for Hiccup to lay down in his opened wings, which he did. As soon as the Night Fury closed its wings and curled in upon its rider, Hiccup was asleep in the warm and comfortable embrace.

**-Three Months Later-**

Hiccup had been training hard with the King for the last three months. He had learned how to connect with another dragon's mind to talk without having to go through the same long process like he did the first he broke into what he had taken to calling, the Void. Through the process of learning that, Hiccup accidentally learned how to protect other dragons from an Alphas call. To say the King was surprised would be an understatement as only an Alpha had the power to do something like that. During that time, he also got to know his mother and the two other people that lived in the Sanctuary, Unole,  and Mason.

Unole was the smaller of the two, being about five foot eight, around 150 pounds and twenty years old. He was actually a lot like Hiccup in that they both could be playful, sarcastic and would rather talk things out than fight. His hair was black, neck length, and he kept it wild and untamed. Something that Hiccup notice early on was that his eye color would change. Unole could not offer up an explanation but he knew that they changed based on his mood and would glow if he was under a large amount of emotional stress. His eyes would normally be brown, but change to a light blue if he was curious or hopeful, a forest green like hiccups eyes when he was happy or determined, grey when sad or fearful, yellow-ringed with red when he desired something or someone and finally an amber, almost gold color when he was angry. Hiccup had only seen them light blue, green, and brown and never had the want to see any of the other colors. The two had instantly hit it off and Hiccup, with the help of Valka, had taught him sign language so they could talk.

Mason was almost the exact opposite. Standing at six and a half feet tall and 200 pounds, he towered over everybody else. He was also twenty years old but already had the look down that said he had seen some seriously bad things in his life and one could see that bleed through his blue eyes. With the short brown hair and the fact that he always had his twin swords on, he looked more like a grizzled veteran of many battles than a twenty-year-old dragon rider. He was more reserved and it took some time for Hiccup to make it through the gruff and seemingly uncaring exterior of the man to see what few people saw. A man who cared deeply for a few people and dragons. He hid that well and it took Hiccup almost three months to reach that point with him.

They may seem like opposites, but that was what made them such a good team. While Unole was the more adventurous one, that wanderlust was offset by the seriousness of Mason. Unole didn't like to fight while Mason would always be up early to train. Their dragons were mirrors of their riders and Penumbra, Unole's White Fury, seemed to always have curiosity and happiness flowing out of his blue eyes and would happily play with anybody who came along. Spector, Masons Night Fury, was more reserved about what he did. He would typically stay by Mason's side and had the same kind of look in his red eyes as his rider did.

Today, both of the men were out on a scouting mission of a location that they wouldn't tell Hiccup and Zahnlos was with the King so Hiccup was with his mother's Stormcutter Cloadjumper as she was off somewhere in the nest.

" _Cloudjumper, why did you take my mother all those years ago?"_ Hiccup asked him while he was practicing some of his mental powers.

" _This was before Unole and Mason arrived and took over the role of scouting so the king would send one of us out to scout for dragon trappers or what have you. It was during one of these searches that I came across your mother."_ Cloudjumper started explaining.

" _It was during a raid, wasn't it?"_ Hiccup asked as he stopped practicing and looked at the owl-like face of his mother's dragon.

" _Yes, it was. First I was just going to watch, but I saw your mother save a Nightmare that had been shot down from having its head chopped off out of the corner of my eye as I was watching another dragon land and start digging into a house. I had sensed something coming from the house and I felt the need to protect it, so I slammed the other dragon off the side of the house and caused it to fly off."_ Cloadjumper said to the young teen. " _My curiosity got the best of me however as I felt the same feeling from early come from inside the house. I went inside to find a human hatchling in its bed and so I started playing with him. It was then that she burst into the house and grabbed a sword to protect what I assumed to be her hatchling."_

" _That was me, wasn't it?"_ Hiccup asked him.

" _Yes, and now I know why I was drawn to your house at that moment. When I turn to look at your mother, I scratched you right on the chin, which is where that scar came from. As I looked at your mother, she dropped her sword and we just stared into each other's eyes. It was as if her soul reflected my own. Suddenly an axe went sailing between the two of us so I turned and blasted fire and whoever threw the axe. She tried to stop me, but I had already set most the room on fire. She was right next to me and I knew she was trying to save dragons in a society that glorified killing dragons, so I grabbed her and flew off back to the Sanctuary."_ He finished.

" _I see. Do you know why the dragon was trying to get inside? That's something that has never happened before."_ Hiccup asked, trying to understand the events that led up to the "attack".

" _I vaguely remember him say something about capturing you for the Queen, but I might be mistaken as it was such a small thing and so long ago."_ It was at that time that Zahnlos walked into the cave that the two were in as he was done with the King. Hiccup didn't know why the two would get together so often as neither would tell him but he thought it had something to do with him.

" _Hiccup, want to go flying?"_ The Night Fury asked as he walked in. During the first month that Hiccup and Zahnlos were here, Mason and Unole had gone out and made Hiccup a saddle and some protective clothing so the two could fly together and not worry about the young teen falling off or getting injured somehow. Since receiving that gift the two had bonded much more over being able to fly together.

" _I would love to."_ Hiccup replied as he waved a goodbye to Cloudjumper, who acknowledged it and went his own way. " _Let's go!"_ Hiccup said as he jumped onto the saddle.

" _Don't have to tell me twice!"_ Zahnlos said as they blasted out of the cave and out of the Sanctuary and into the open air. They just flew, not talking. To be fair with all the outrageous stunts and maneuvers that the two were doing it would be hard to get any talking in. They just kept flying and doing all sorts of acrobatics for some time before Zahnlos leveled out suddenly after an inverted spin and went into a hover.

" _What's up bud?"_ Hiccup asked as it was an abrupt stop.

" _I thought I heard something."_ Came the response. Hiccup started to listen for any sort of noise as well. Over the last three months', part of his training was to increase his senses using the bond that he shared with Zahnlos so any sense he increased was as good as most dragons. While he still could not actually hear, he could analyze what every sound Zahnlos had heard to help determine where it came from.

" _To the left."_ Hiccup said after 'hearing' the noise just as Zahnlos started to fly that way. They flew for a few minutes before coming across a small island that was the source of the distraught noise. The pair landed on the beach and as soon as they did they noticed a bright object that looked like a rock near the tree line. As they approached Hiccup started to reach his mind out across the island to see if he could find the dragon and help them find it faster, but he couldn't find anything. As they neared the odd rock it suddenly burst open to reveal a dragon, snarling at them and causing the pair to take a step back.

" _Careful Hiccup, that's a Razorwhip and they have a history of not liking other dragons or people,"_ Zahnlos said to Hiccup, who simply nodded his head in affirmation. Now that Hiccup knew where to look, he started looking for the dragon's mind so they could talk while Zahnlos started, well tried to start a conversation with the dragon as it was not responding. As Hiccup was looking over the dragon he noticed it had a few arrows in its side that had somehow gotten past the armor plating that covered the dragon from snout to tail. After a few moments, he finally found the dragon's mind, which was not surprising as Razorwhips often hid their mind from outsiders to avoid being found.

" _Don't be afraid. We aren't here to hurt you. We heard your cries for help and want to help you."_ Hiccup said to the obvious surprise of the Razorwhip if its expression was anything to go by.

" _How is this possible?"_ A feminine voice filled Hiccups head.

" _Long story short, I am special and somehow have the same abilities as an Alpha. Now can we help you with those arrows…?"_ Hiccup responded to her, leaving the last part open as he didn't know her name.

" _Yes, you may. My name is Windshear."_ The now named Windshear responded.

" _Hiccup and Zahnlos,"_ Hiccup responded as he grabbed a first aid kit from a saddle bag and went over to the dragon. Zahnlos had piggybacked on the conversation due to the bond they shared so he knew what was going on between the two.

" _I'm going to pull the arrows out, now this may hurt."_ Hiccup told her as he gripped the shaft on the first arrow.

" _Go ahead."_ Came the response, so Hiccup yanked the arrow out causing Windshear to howl out in pain. Even though little more than the head had penetrated, having it yanked out was painful for the dragoness. After pulling out all five arrows out of her side he placed a paste made from Zahnlos's saliva on it as the found out it helped the blood to clot and there by heal faster.

" _Thank you Hiccup,"_ Windshear said as she bowed to the boy once he had finished.

" _Your welcome. There I no need to bow to me Windshear, I'm not important enough to receive that honor."_ Hiccup said, even though he full well knew why she was doing it as he had seen other dragons do it to his mother when she helped heal them.

" _But you are Alpha, you said it yourself."_

" _No, I merely have the power of an Alpha, I am not the Alpha but the King is."_ Hiccup replied, noting to not use the word alpha when talking about his power to other dragons.

" _King?"_

" _Yes, back at the Sanctuary. You should come, it is a place where all dragons are welcomed and protected by the King, one of the last Bewilderbeasts in existence."_

It was at that point that Zahnlos said something to her, and she responded to him.

" _She will be staying with us until she grows accustomed to other dragons and finds her own cave,"_ Zahnlos said to Hiccup after the two dragons had a short conversation. Hiccup had just been thinking of suggesting the idea but was waiting for the two to finish talking so she would have two conversations at once.

" _Ah, you stole my idea bud."_ Hiccup said to his dragon, who returned it with a smug look of his own.

" _Who ever said I stole it? It's might have been your idea, but I was the one to tell her."_ Came the response. Hiccup didn't respond, yet simply launched himself at Zahnlos and the two started to wrestle with each other. After a few moments, Zahnlos had Hiccup pinned underneath his body and was just laying there with a smug expression on his face.

" _Alright, you win you overgrown salamander. Now let me up."_ Hiccup said as he conceded to the argument about who actually had the idea.

" _Uhm, shall we get going back to this, Sanctuary?"_ Windshear said, causing both of them to look up at her sitting and waiting patiently for them to finish.

" _Right."_ Hiccup started as Zahnlos let him up and into the saddle. " _Follow us and we should be there in about thirty minutes."_ Hiccup finished as the three of them flew into the sky and back to the Sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Y'all later!
> 
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	5. Chapter 5

True to their word it only took about thirty minutes for the small group to reach the Sanctuary. Flying through the entrance in the ice, Windshear didn't say anything but when they got to the heart of the giant ice structure they heard her gasp at the sight. True, anybody who didn't live there and saw the greenery and swirling masses of flying dragons constantly, it would look like quite a beautiful sight.

" _Ah Hiccup and Zahnlos, you two are back a bit early."_ The King said to them as he noticed them enter, though not noticing Windshear as she was hiding behind the pair.

" _Yes we are, we kind of ran into something, unexpected."_ Hiccup said as the pair bowed before the King, giving him a view of Windshear.

" _A Razorwhip? How did you manage to find one and convince it to come back come back to the Sanctuary?"_ The King asked as he looked at Windshear closer, no doubt trying the find her mind so he could speak with her.

" _Well, we were flying and heard a distress call and when we followed it we found her with multiple arrows in her side on a small island with nobody around. At first, she wanted us to leave but when I connected with her mind to talk, I think it surprised her enough where she let me pulled the arrows out and treated the wounds. After that we told her about the Sanctuary; she agreed to come and stay with us."_ Hiccup told the King as the pair stepped aside so the large dragon could get a better look at said Razorwhip.

" _Interesting."_ Came the reply, though it sounded as it was an afterthought and the King was busy doing something else.

***PoV King***

As the boys were explaining how they found the Razorwhip, I was looking for its mind so I could talk to her. I had only seen a few Razorwhips in my time alive as they typically were loners who didn't trust humans or other dragons. This one was proving a bit difficult to find, she must be good at hiding her mind from others to avoid being found.

" _Interesting,"_ I said to the boys as Hiccup finished the story so they wouldn't think I stopped listening to them. It was then that I found her mind and connected with it. Instantly I saw that she was a rather young Razorwhip, a bit older then the boys, and had bonded with Hiccup.

" _No need to fear, I mean you no harm,"_ I said to her privately so the boy couldn't hear what was said.

" _What? Who is there now?"_ Came the reply of a feminine voice.

" _It is just me, the King. Welcome to the Dragon Sanctuary. From what the boys had told me, you had a nasty encounter with some humans that ended up with you receiving a belly full of arrows. Though I'm curious, why let Hiccup and Zahnlos help and then follow them back here?"_ I asked her, trying to make her comfortable and to understand why she was standing before me.

" _That is true. I guess it was because I had no choice. I couldn't get the arrows out and when the young boy connected with my mind and started talking with me, I realized that maybe it was best to have somebody to look out for you."_ Came the response from the young dragoness.

" _Do you take me as a fool? To believe that a Razorwhip would suddenly decide to follow a dragon and a human, but then live with them in a nest is something only the foolish would believe. There is another reason."_ I replied, a tad bit insulted that she would think such a simple explanation would work on me.

" _I don't take you as a fool. I am sorry for trying to deceive you. The other reason is that I sensed that Hiccup was special."_ As she said that I looked at her as if asking what was you first clue, " _No, beyond his ability to connect and understand dragons. That boy will do great things for dragon and human kind. I wish to protect him and his dragon, not only in payment for surly saving my life but I have this feeling that the pair will need all the help they can get."_

" _Well then, who am I to stop you?"_ By the time that we had finished, the pair had wondered off, most likely to go back to their cave. " _Though before you leave, for one so young you are remarkably strong in the mental arts. How is that if you don't mind me asking?"_

" _I am the daughter of Blade and have inherited his strength as a base for my own abilities."_

" _I can see that now, your father stopped through here many years ago. Now go find the boys, I'm sure they will want to show you where you are staying."_ I said as I finished up and turned back around.

* **Normal PoV***

Hiccup and Zahnlos had left when they realized that the King was talking privately to Windshear. That was one of the first things Hiccup had learned, that he could talk one on one or broadcast his voice so that anybody in the area could hear him.

" _You think maybe we should go clean up the cave?"_ Zahnlos suggested.

" _Why would we do that? It isn't dirty. Wait, is it because Windshear is coming over?"_ Hiccup asked, wondering why Zahnlos would suggest cleaning the already clean cave, though he had an idea on why.

" _Yes, it is,"_ Zahnlos responded, " _If she is going to be living with us then I want first impressions to be a good one."_

" _Are you sure that's the only reason?"_ Hiccup asked slyly and with a smile on his face.

" _Yes, I'm sure it's the only reason Hiccup,"_ Zahnlos responded with a sort of nervous laugh, plus Hiccup could feel through their bond that there was another reason but didn't press it as he knew he could torture him about it later.

" _Well, we might as well just fly around and wait for the two to finish."_ Hiccup said, knowing that they both loved to be in the air so he wouldn't get any complaints. They took off into the sky, flying fast and dangerous, just as always. After a few minutes of doing tricks, Windshear showed up having finished with the King.

" _So how was your meeting with the King?"_ Hiccup asked her when the pair noticed she had arrived, having Zahnlos level out so it would be easier to talk.

" _Interesting, he asked why I decided to follow you,"_ Windshear responded to the pair.

"S _ounds like it was fun, though I would you think you want to see where you will be staying so you can rest."_

" _Very much so, I'm starting to tire out rather quickly. Lead the way."_ She responded and motioned with her head at the pair. They had been flying around the inside of the sanctuary and so it was easy for them to take a simple turn and they soon arrived at the cave that the three would share. As they arrived, Zahnlos and Windshear started talking to each other. Hiccup could have connected to Zahnlos's mind to see what they were talking about, but he felt something was wrong in the world so he zoned out to find what it was.

There was a dragon entering the Sanctuary that was wounded. That worried him as during the short time the boy had been there he had grown fond off all the dragons. The King said it was because he was part Alpha and it's an Alpha nature to worry about fellow dragons. He dug deeper to find out who it was that was injured and why. While he didn't see why, he saw who it was and when he found out he rushed out of the cave, startling Zahnlos and Windshear. They bounded after him as he rushed towards the entrance, confused about what was going on.

" _Hiccup, wait up! What's wrong?"_ Zahnlos asked his rider as he noticed where they were run towards.

" _Wounded dragon at the entrance!"_ Hiccup shouted back at him, " _My mother and everybody else is already there so let's go!"_

" _What's going on? Why is Hiccup running so fast?"_ Windshear asked Zahnlos, not understanding what was going on.

" _There is a dragon wounded at the entrance to the Sanctuary and Hiccup always seems to worry easily over the other dragons of the Sanctuary."_ Zahnlos explained to her, " _Though I have no idea who is injured and that makes me worried."_ As they kept running they saw a small group of dragons standing around Unole, Mason, and Valka who were standing around another dragon which was laying on the ground. They couldn't see who it was due to the number of bodies in the way. When Hiccup arrived, the other dragons stepped aside to let him through.

" _Zahnlos, I need you up here right now!"_ Hiccup cried out to his dragon. Zahnlos was right behind him and looking down at the wounded dragon a second later. What he saw before him was a severely wounded dragon, cuts, burns, and soot covering the whole of what was visible to Zahnlos. Hiccup grabbed the first aid gear out of his saddle bag and began treating the dragon in combination with Valka and the two men. It was then that he noticed who it was laid before him on the stone. It was another Night Fury, meaning it had to be either Penumbra or Spector. The thought of either of them being in such a state scared him.

" _Zahnlos_ _, who is it?"_ Windshear asked the Night Fury as he started to walk around to the front of the downed dragon to see who it was.

" _It is one of the two other Night Fury's in the Sanctuary. First is Spector and the second is Penumbra, who is a White Fury. Both have riders and they are the other two men you see around the women, who is Hiccups mother."_ He responded to her.

" _Then who is it?"_ She asked him, slightly worried about a fellow nest mate even though she was new to the Sanctuary. Hiccup had just finished with the Fury's head and moved out of the way, allowing Zahnlos to see who it was.

" _It's…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER! I know, since when do I do cliffhangers? Well, I do every now and again. This is here mainly because I couldn't figure out who I wanted to be injured. Also, it's something new for Y'all. So, I stayed up late to get this done early so it would be all ready for you guys by today. Well, I'm glad you all are enjoying the story so far! Remember that if you want to see something, leave it in a review and there is an 80% chance it will make it into the story. Even if you don't have a suggestion, just leave a message! Anything is appreciated. It's what keeps me writing.   
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	6. Chapter 6

" _Then who is it?"_ Windshear asked Zahnlos about who Hiccup was helping the three people with. Hiccup had just finished with the Fury's head and moved out of the way, allowing Zahnlos to see who it was.

" _It's Penumbra,"_ Zahnlos informed her with a sad tone of voice. She could tell it was painful for the Night Fury standing next to her to watch a close friend and fellow rare dragon in pain and not be able to help. It was at that time that the other Night Fury, Specter walked up to the pair. Windshear, still not used to or even wanting to be close to any dragon other than Zahnlos, backed up and tried to hide behind the Fury.

" _Don't worry Zahnlos, he'll pull through he always does."_ The Night Fury informed his younger companion upon seeing his worried expression, " _Now who is this?"_

" _This is Windshear, Hiccup and I found her injured about thirty minutes flying away from here. Hiccup fixed her up and we came back here, it seems that she has put her trust in the two of us."_ Zahnlos informed him as he scooted to the side so that Windshear would be forced to meet the dragon.

" _Well then, hello_ _Windshear and welcome to the Sanctuary, my name is Specter."_ He said to the dragoness. Windshear simply nodded her head in the affirmation that she had heard him. Specter turned to Zahnlos once he had introduced himself to Windshear and spoke only to Zahnlos so nobody else would hear what he had to say.

" _Zahnlos, I need to talk to you about something important,"_ Specter stated in a serious tone as he motioned with his head for the younger dragon to follow, which he did.

" _What's wrong? What happened to Penumbra?"_ Zahnlos asked once they had cleared the crowd that had gathered to see what was going on.

" _That's what I wanted to talk to you about. How much do you know about Drottning?"_ The question caught Zahnlos off guard as he was not expecting to be asked about her. Before answering he ushered the other Drake into a small side cavern nearby.

" _I know more about Her than I would like too,"_ Zahnlos said with a defeated look, " _Though I know if She was the one who hurt Penumbra, then there will be no stopped her till all three of us are under Her control. Why would you even be that close to that monster?"_

" _You know the scouting trips we go on?"_

" _That's where you go!"_ Zahnlos shouted at his fellow dragon, " _why would you go there?"_

" _The king could sense her power growing and he has been having us scout out her raiding parties to see if they have been getting bigger or their tactics smarter. He had us going due to us being stealthy and due to us having our riders, resistant to Her call."_ Specter told the Night Fury standing next to him.

" _Then how did Penumbra get those wounds? Some of those wounds came from a normal dragon, not Her."_

" _You're right, some of them came from normal dragons but most of the burns are from Her. We followed a raiding party back to the nest after the last raid on Berk."_ Came the response.

" _WHAT WOULD POSSESS YOU TWO TO DO THAT!"_ Zahnlos exploded at the older drake standing next to him. Even though Specter was the older and had seen much worse than another dragon yelling at him, the younger Night Fury who was now extremely livid frightened him immensely.

" _We thought we saw somebody on the back of a Nadder and that gave us reason to follow and confirm what we had seen."_ Specter meekly responded. The answer didn't seem to help cool down Zahnlos much, but it piped the interest of somebody.

" _Zahnlos, calm down. Penumbra is doing fine."_ Hiccup said as he came rushing into the area they had gone to. " _Specter, did you confirm what you saw?"_ Zahnlos was surprised when Hiccup came into the area, but he did calm down once Hiccup walked up to him and rested his hand on the dragon's head.

" _We uh, we did find something interesting."_ Came the shaky reply, as if even he wasn't sure of what he had seen.

" _What did you find?"_ Hiccup asked him before Zahnlos could. Hiccup could sense that his bonded was in a foul mood from what the Night Fury standing before them had said but he couldn't see why due to the tight mental shielding he had thrown up around a few certain memories. While he had learned how to easily slip past most of Zahnlos's mental shielding, the shielding the dragon was using was far beyond anything the boy had even tried to get through before.

" _We only caught a passing glance before we were found out and had to leave but it looked like another rider, maybe more."_

" _That's impossible, there is no way She would let any humans in Her Nest."_ Zahnlos authoritatively said, while Hiccup just stood there listening, deep in thought from what he had just heard.

" _I don't know what to say, both Penumbra and I saw the same thing. There was definitely a rider on the back of the Nadder and when they went to a cave we tried to sneak near the entrance to see if there was more. We thought we heard five voices but we were found out before we got near it."_ Specter stated, as he hesitantly explained what had happened, _"Unole and Penumbra quickly rushed for to see inside before we left but couldn't. Dragons from all over the nest were coming to protect it as if it was the nursery and there was a Nightmare, Nadder, Gronkle, and Zippleback blocking the entrance to the cave."_

" _Is that why he got hurt worse than you?"_

" _Yes, he had rushed away from our hiding spot and they all focused on him. I tried to help but they were like wasps swarming on one target. He kept spinning around to protect Unole while climbing out of the volcano. It was then that She appeared."_ Specter suddenly just stopped talking and was now laying on the ground trying to forget what had happened, almost defeated by the fact he couldn't protect his fellow Fury.

" _Who is this she you keep talking about?"_ Hiccup asked, now speaking up as he transitioned to try and comfort the depressed Night Fury. The two dragons locked eyes and Zahnlos gave a slight nod and proceeded to explain who She was to the boy.

" _Hiccup, She is the Queen of the nest near what you know as Helheim's Gate. It is from that nest that the raids on the villages originate from."_

" _Why do they raid the villages? You guys prefer fish, don't you?"_ Hiccup asked.

" _Yes Hiccup, dragons do prefer fish but She forces all the dragons to raid the villages to feed Her. Most of the dragons in the nest barely get enough food to survive as they must go and fish for it when they are not raiding. Only her favorites are kept well feed as the other dragons have to bring them food when not raiding for the Queen."_ Zahnlos said with a guilty expression for the final part of the explanation.

" _That sounds awful, why don't the dragons just revolt against her? If they did, then there would be no raids and they could fish for themselves and live in peace."_ Hiccup said idealistically.

" _It's not that simple my dear Rider. Many have tried to lead rebellions and insurgencies against Her but none have gone far. Not only does She keep them as slaves under mind control, She also eats the ones who dare go against Her."_ Zahnlos unenthusiastically explained to Hiccup. That shocked the boy, what thing would even think to eat one of its own species for trying to have free will?

" _Then we need to do something about it! We can't just stand by and let it happen bud."_ Hiccup said as if it were a call to arms.

"T _hat's not a good idea my Rider. There is no way to beat Her, many have tried and all have failed."_

" _But we have to do something Zahnlos, we can't leave all those dragons there under Her rule,"_ Hiccup argued, not believing that there was nothing his friend would do to help his fellow dragons after seeing how much he had helped and cared for them around the Sanctuary.

" _There is nothing we can do. No matter how many dragons we bring it will never be enough as She will simply take them over."_ Zahnlos replied, trying to get his rider to forget about it.

" _What if I protect them? I know I could."_ Hiccup persisted.

" _Hiccup, please; there is nothing you can do. She has been doing this for hundreds of years and will be doing it long after we are gone."_ Zahnlos pleaded with the boy, a hint of defeat evident in his voice,

" _Then it's time for her rule to come to an end. I will not, cannot stand by and do nothing knowing that this is going on. Plus, what about the person that is in the nest?"_ Hiccup tried to reason with the dragon. Unknown to them, Specter had slipped away to get Unole in hopes the man would help Zahnlos in showing Hiccup how wrong he was. Before Zahnlos could respond, Unole came into the entrance of the small cave and tapped Hiccup on the shoulder to get his attention.

**What's wrong?** The man asked Hiccup, who just quickly signed nothing before turning back to Zahnlos. Though before Hiccup could say a word Unole grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around so they were staring at each other eye to eye as they were about the same height. It was then that Hiccup noticed that Unole's eyes were grey and almost glowing as if he was trying to hold back his emotions.

**Tell me what's wrong.** Unole once against asked Hiccup, releasing his shoulders so the teen could sign.

**I want to go and kill the Queen, freeing the dragons under her rule.** Once Hiccup was about halfway through signing, Unole's eyes started to glow fully.

**No! Why would you think of doing that?** Unole asked, surprised and frightened by the statement.

**The dragons need to be free!** Hiccup argued.

**Yes, but your life is not worth loosing just for a single nest.** Came the response, with Unole's eyes stop glowing but staying grey.

**But I have Zahnlos and can protect dragons from her call. If I can free the dragons from her control they will flee or help me fight back.** Hiccup once again tried to convince somebody to agree with him.

**I'm sorry Hiccup, but that's not what will happen. You saw what happened to us when the four of us were in there.** Unole signed at him, trying to change the boy's mind as his eyes changed from grey to a green almost like Hiccups.

**I can do it, I know I can.** Hiccup signed, more forcefully this time. Suddenly Unole's eyes switched to an almost golden amber color and were glowing while he started almost yelling at the boy, forgetting that Hiccup was deaf. While Hiccup couldn't actually hear what he was saying, he could tell that it was serious due to the man's eyes and how energetic he seemed to be yelling. Hiccup waited for Unole to calm down before signing at him.

**I get it, you don't want me to go but this is something I must do though.** Hiccup signed in a last-ditch effort to garner some support before sneaking off on his own. Unole just seemed to give up on trying to change the boy's mind.

**Fine, but before you to dethrone her, at least go on a scouting trip first. Just to see what you will be up against.**

**Fine.** Hiccup responded, finally soothing the fears of Unole and Zahnlos, who had snuck into Hiccups mind to understand the conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there everybody! So ya, this is an odd place to end the chapter but honestly, I ran out of motivation and I'm tired. I hope this made sense if it doesn't just drop me a review and I will try to answer it for you. So for Unole's eyes, that section is back in chapter four if you need a reminder.  
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	7. Chapter 7

It was decided that Hiccup and Zahnlos would go to scout out the nest during the night and would then have to leave a bit before dinner. The reason behind this was not only the fact that Zahnlos was a Night Fury so he preferred the dark, but a raid would most likely be going on so most of the dragons would be gone, making it easier to scout out the nest. Hiccup would shield Zahnlos from the effects of the Queen's mind control while they were there as neither wanted to get stuck in the nest.

**Promise me you will be fine, both of you.** Valka signed at Hiccup as the young teen was getting onto Zahnlos to fly off for the scouting trip.

**Don't worry, we'll be fine I promise.** Hiccup signed back before turning to check he was safely in the saddle. Just before the pair took off Hiccup felt a hand on his shoulder, so he turned to see who it was.

**Don't attack her, she will eat you whole if you do.** Unole signed at Hiccup, his eyes a light grey as he stood there fearful that what happened to him and Penumbra would happen to these two.

**I get it, She is dangerous so I need to avoid combat, I get it.** Hiccup replied in frustration. Unole simply nodded his head before walking away as the pair took off, leaving his mother standing there by herself due to Unole going back to Mason and Specter who were staying with Penumbra as he was recovering. The pair flew through the darkening night sky towards the Queens Nest, one hesitant to go and the other eager. They flew onwards for a few hours before Zahnlos started to act a bit strange.

" _What's wrong?"_ Hiccup asked him as the dragon slowed to a hover before a large fog bank.

" _If we go any farther then She will know we are there, we are only a few minutes from the nest,"_ Zahnlos informed him.

" _All right, I guess here is where we see if all the_ _training has paid off."_ Hiccup said before he started to mask their presence. Once he did Hiccup nudged Zahnlos forward, a silent go-ahead from the teen. With that reassurance, Zahnlos once again started his flight towards the Nest. He felt the familiar comforting presence of Hiccup in his mind, hiding them from the searching mind of the Queen.

" _There it is Hiccup, the Nest,"_ Zahnlos said as the massive volcano that housed the Queen and the Nest came into view. Hiccup was awestruck by the size and magnitude of the Nest as they flew closer towards the nest. Even though Zahnlos knew the main entrance cave he decided to fly towards the opening at the top of the volcano, allowing a better view inside and the Queen would not expect them to sneak in through the exit. Due to the time of night that they had arrived, the Nest was empty due to the dragons all being out raiding.

" _Look at the size of this thing. How many dragons can it hold?"_ Hiccup asked as they landed on a ledge inside the nest, Hiccup getting off to get a better look around.

" _When I was last here the count was around one thousand dragons,"_ Zahnlos informed him. " _Though there where things that I didn't know about so there could have been more. Which would explain why I did not know of any humans."_

" _Where would they stay? We should confirm it since we are here."_ Hiccup suggested, turning back to his dragon.

" _There is a cave that the Queen would not let anybody near."_

" _That must be it, show me the cave bud."_ Hiccup said as he hopped back on his friends back. Zahnlos was soon in the air and had taken them to the other side of the Nest, though he stuck to the edge instead of flying over the middle of the Volcano. When they arrived, both man and dragon could feel the darkness that seemed to surround the Nest grow thicker the closer they got to the entrance of the cave.

" _This is it Hiccup, though I don't think we should go in,_ " Zahnlos said as they stood outside the entrance.

" _Why not? It's not like there is anybody in there, everybody is out raiding you said yourself."_ Hiccup tried to reason with the dragon.

" _I still will not go into that cave. The dark presence is at its strongest in there and I wish not to tempt fate and go in."_

" _Ok you big baby boo, guess I'm going in alone then."_ Hiccup said before walking into the cave. After a few feet, Hiccup was finally able to see something in the darkness of the cave. There were five distinct nesting areas, one for each of the major kinds of dragons; Gronkle, Zippleback, Nadder, and Monstrous Nightmare. What he saw after that was a surprise and caused confusion. There was clear evidence that there were also five different humans based on the clothing and other things that were strewn about the different nesting sites. By the looks of it, a female with the Nadder, a male each with the Nightmare and Gronkle, and finally a male and female with the Zippleback. The fact that there were six different humans living in a nest that was single-handedly waging war on mankind and lead by a tyrannical cannibalistic titan of a dragon surprised Hiccup.

" _They were right, there are six people living."_ Hiccup said as he came out of the cave to see Zahnlos hiding. He quickly got down and hid next to him.

" _We need to leave NOW,"_ Zahnlos said with panic clear in his voice. Before Hiccup could answer he felt the ground shake beneath his feet as it would when the King would roar. Hiccup didn't need anything else as a giant head appeared out of the lava and the smoke that was rising from it.

" _WHO DARES TO TRESPASS IN MY NEST!"_ A baritone female voice boomed through both of their heads.

" _NOW Hiccup!"_ Zahnlos yelled at his rider who was just about to get in the saddle when he froze at the voice of the Queen. Though that shout snapped Hiccup out of it who finished getting into the saddle and as soon as he did Zahnlos jumped back to avoid the massive jaw of the Queen while Hiccup went from hiding them to a mental shield to protect them from Her. Zahnlos quickly jumped up and flew away from the cave, up and towards the exit.

" _YOU SHALL SUBMIT OR DIE."_ The voice once again boomed out. Hiccup could feel a massive force press against the mental shield that he had put up. Zahnlos seemed to feel it as well and faltered slightly before renewing his flight up towards the exit. The two blasted out of the top of the volcano as the Queen blasted fire after them, giving them a bat out of hell look. Hiccup could feel the massive force that could only be the Queen get stronger and almost break through his mental shield before it felt as if it started to dissipate as Zahnlos flew as quickly away as he could. The pair quickly flew out of her range and back towards the Sanctuary, Zahnlos flying so fast that Hiccup almost fell out of the saddle if not for a safety system he installed. The two arrived back at the Sanctuary, only for them to both pass out just inside the entrance to the Sanctuary from exhaustion.

A few of the dragons that saw them come in and collapse rushed to inform Valka, Mason, and Unole that they had returned. The three of them plus Cloudjumper came rushing to where the where they had landed to find Hiccup passed out and slumped forward onto Zahnlos who was flat on his stomach, wings splayed out across the ground.

"What do you think happened?" Valka asked as they rush to the pair to see if they were injured.

"Well, I'm not seeing any injuries on either of them," Mason said as he and Unole worked to get Hiccup out of the saddle.

"We should take them to the Bewilderbeast, see if he can do anything; this seems like a problem with the mind," Unole suggested as they lowered Hiccup to the ground. What they did not notice but Cloudjumper did was how the two seemed to be subconsciously trying to get back to each other. This confused the dragon who closed his eyes to try and contact one or both of the pair that laid before him.

"Let's do it. Can you bring Zahnlos along Cloudjumper?" Valka asked as she picked up her son. The Stormcutter opened his eyes and nodded, picked the smaller dragon up and centered him on his back before following his rider. They walked to the center of the nest where the great Bewilderbeast was resting in his pool of water. As Cloudjumper set the Night Fury down on the ground next to where Valka had put Hiccup, the King looked up at them.

" _What happened? Were they injured?"_ The King asked as he looked over the boys.

"No, they arrived back from their scouting trip and passed out where they landed. We don't know what caused it but there are no physical injuries my King." Valka told him as he moved his face closer to the pair, closing his eyes so he could focus on finding their minds. He did find the mental presence of both boy and dragon, but there was something there that surprised him. The last time that he had the two together, a few days before the scouting run, the metaphorical bridge that spanned their minds and brought them together was relatively small, about wide enough for a Zippleback to walk across. What he saw before him was a connection between the pair that would be large enough for two Bewilderbeast to walk across side by side. Never before had he see such a connection between anybody. Though that was all he could see; not only had their bond grown to unknown levels but Hiccup had placed such a strong mental barrier up that even he could not break through.

"So, what's wrong with them? Why aren't they waking up?" Unole asked after a few moments of the king concentrating on getting through the mental shield that Hiccup had put up, but no matter what he tried he could break through.

" _I do not know why they are unconscious as your boy has thrown up the strongest mental shield I have ever seen."_ The King informed Valka who passed it on to Unole and Mason. " _He and his dragon have also bonded to a point far past what I thought possible for anybody. He truly has the soul of a dragon to reach such a level."_

"What should we do?" Valka asked, the information that she had just received not fully sinking into her mind nor the minds of her companions who she relayed the information to.

" _Let them rest, but keep them together. I fear what would happen if we separate them as this type of bond is near unheard of and still fresh."_ The King told them before turning back around so he faced the back wall of the Sanctuary so he could think more about what had just happened. On that wall was a cave were the oldest dragons stayed, forming a sort of Counsel of the Elders that the Bewilderbeast would use when he was deep in thought about something and needed another opinion on something. As the King did that, Valka and Cloudjumper took the boys back to where they had their cave while Unole and Mason went back to their dragons. Cloudjumper set Zahnlos down first and as he did the wing of the Night Fury opened and Valka felt Hiccup try to reach his scaly friend as she went to lay him in his bed. With the Kings words still in her head, she moved so that Hiccup would slid into the open space by the Fury's belly and as soon as she set her son down the wings closed like a scaly black cocoon.

"Come on Cloudjumper, let's go patrol the Sanctuary while we wait," Valka said with a hint of sadness in her voice as she patted the Stormcutter's belly. Giving her a nod they both left the cave, hoping that the pair would be awake by the time they returned back from their patrol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see, let's see, there was something I was supposed to do…. Oh ya. First off, if anything is confusing do hesitate to leave a review or send me a PM, I will try to make it less confusing for you; Second, I am incorporating a tad bit of the bonding that you see in the movie Eragon. With them being able to share certain things. But I will not let Hiccup hear, he will stay deaf throughout the whole of the story. Also, be prepared for next chapter to start in a dreamscape.  
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm adding this story in chunks of four chapters until up to the current chapter, which is 12. so one more chapter dump in a few days till yall are up to date.

"Hiccup!" A voice echoed through the boy's head as he woke up with a gasp. Looking around he expected to see the back Zahnlos's head and the sky as the last thing he remembered they were flying through the sky away from the Queen as his shield was starting to fail. However, that was not what Hiccup saw when he opened his eyes.

"AHHH!" Hiccup shouted out as he fell flat on his rear as he saw where he was. He recognized where he was as his mindscape, but there was something horribly wrong with it. Instead of just a house in the rolling hills and forests of Berk, there was now huge sections of rock floating in a circle around the house and chunks of the earth were being torn up and joining the ever-growing flying circle of natural materials.

What's going on here? Hiccup thought as he observed everything that was happening. The Queen. He didn't know when or how but he was sure that the Queen had somehow broken through his mental barrier and was destroying his and potentially Zahnlos's mindscape so that She could control them like She did for all the dragons in her nest. Hiccup was laying on the ground just outside his house as he awaited his fate, watching the stone and dirt circle spin faster and faster. The ground started to tremble as all the material that was floating around Hiccups location started to fly towards the ground and was creating a mountain around him, raising him and his house to the top of it. Hiccup was scared out of his mind that the Queen was taking it over.

"Hiccup!" The boy heard the voice of Zahnlos and started to frantically look around for his best friend.

"Zahnlos, where are you!?" Hiccup shouted out in his mind, afraid and looking for a sense of normalcy in the changing chaos of his mindscape. It was then that Zahnlos materialized in front of the boy and before the dragon could do anything he was tackled by his rider in what was meant to be a bone-crushing bear hug but just felt like a normal hug to the large reptile. "Oh Zahnlos, I'm sorry for insisting we scout out the Nest." Hiccup said to the drake as he was wrapped up in the Dragon's wings in an effort to comfort the boy as the ground was still shaking and parts of the earth were still flying around.

"And why is that dear rider?" Zahnlos responded, nuzzling the top of his rider's head.

"Don't you see what is happening to my mindscape? The Queen is taking over." Hiccup said, letting his emotion flow out of him in droves.

"Stop it. This isn't the work of the Queen." Zahnlos said as he looked up to taking in the changes that had happened to his rider's mindscape, finding it looked a lot like a bad combination of his and his rider's mindscape.

"What else could have caused this and how do you know it wasn't Her?" Hiccup asked, still not sure of what was happening.

"I'm not sure what has happened, but I do know this isn't Her doing as this is a mix of yours and my mindscape. If it was her you wouldn't even have your own mindscape as She takes it completely over." Zahnlos said as a small shiver went through him and Hiccup got an image in his mind that felt like a memory of a mindscape that looked like the Nest they had fled from.

"Did it look like the nest?" Hiccup asked, not knowing where it had come from.

"Yes, how did you know? I didn't send it throughout bond." Came the surprised response.

"I don't know, it just appeared in my mind like it was a memory." The teen said to his dragon, even more confused now about what was happening. It was then that the ground stopped shaking and the thuds and bangs of rocks and earth slamming into the ground stopped. Zahnlos peaked his head out of the small cocoon that he had trapped Hiccup in before opening his wings to let said teen out. What they saw before them was a beautiful mountaintop paradise of a small forest that reminded the both of them of the same thing, home. As they scanned the area Hiccup spotted something off to their right in one of the walls. Getting up he walked over to what he had seen with Zahnlos right behind him.

"Wow." Hiccup said as they got closer to the wall, now being able to see it in better clarity. It was Hiccup's house but carved partially into the rock around the entrance to a cave.

"Hiccup, I think I may know what has happened." Zahnlos said as they both stood there and admired the combination of stone and wood that was their "home". "Somehow we have completely bonded in an instant."

"What?" Hiccup asked as he turned to look at his friend who had laid down so he sat down and leaned up against him.

"You see, when two dragons are bound by fate to be with each other they bond like we have. That bond grows over time as the two are together till almost their entire minds are connected, allowing each to feel the other's feelings, hear their thoughts, see memories, know their pain, and some other things that I'm forgetting." Zahnlos explained, he didn't really have a good idea what had happened as full bonds took years to grow even with the most willing of dragons. Hiccup didn't say anything, digesting the information that Zahnlos had just dumped on him.

"Then how did we reach it so soon?" Hiccup asked, laying down and getting wrapped up in Zahnlos's wings once more.

"I don't know Hiccup, I truly do not know." With that statement the two fell into silence, neither knowing what to say and neither wanting to break the silence that seemed to relax them both so much.

"Where do you think, we are? I mean where do you think our bodies are?" Hiccup asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"I don't know exactly but before I passed out and came here I landed back at the Sanctuary," Zahnlos said, the memory of landing at the Sanctuary finding its way to Hiccup.

"Think we should try and make it back to the real world?" Hiccup asked, looking up so that his forest green eyes meet the acid green eyes of Zahnlos.

"I think we should." Came the response as the both of them started to dematerialize to awake back in the real world.

—Real World—

The two woke up slower than they had in the past, both feeling slightly sore. Looking around they saw that they were back in their cave in the Sanctuary.

" _How do you think we got here?_ " Hiccup asked.

" _Your Mother and Cloudjumper most likely carried us_ _here,_ " Zahnlos answered. The two walked to the opening to their cave so they could try and spot somebody that they knew.

" _Ahh!_ " Hiccup shouted out as they started to look around, causing Zahnlos to quickly look over at him.

" _What's wrong Hiccup?_ " Zahnlos asked him.

" _I don't know, there is something wrong with my eyes._ " Hiccup replied as he looked around the Sanctuary and took in his new vision.

" _What does it look like?_ "

" _The colors are more vivid, everything I'm looking at is clearer. Nothing hurts of anything but it just caught me unaware and I don't know where it came from._ " Hiccup said to Zahnlos before his eyes switched back to normal. " _Wait, it's normal again._ "

" _That may be one of the side effects of_ _our bonding,_ " Zahnlos said. " _Climb on and let's go see the King about this._ " Hiccup did just that and they soon were down next to the King's pool and watching as he turned around to meet them.

" _Hiccup, Zahnlos, it's good to see you two up and about. What can I help you with?_ " The King asked, noticing that the mental barrier was down now that they had woken up and in a place that was familiar to them.

" _We have a few questions,_ " Zahnlos replied to the massive dragon.

" _About some of the specifics of your newly strengthen bond?_ "

" _Yyyaaaaaa, how did you know?_ " Hiccup asked, both of them surprised by how easily the King guessed what they had arrived there for.

" _I sensed your bond had reached that level when you arrived back here many hours ago, despite the barrier you had erected dear Hiccup._ " The King responded, confusing Hiccup a bit more which the King saw. " _When you both collapsed at the entrance your Mother and Cloudjumper brought you two to me as they had no idea what had happened and feared the Queen had corrupted your minds. As soon as you arrived I knew that to not be the case as you had erected a mental shield that was so stronger than even I could not get through._ "

" _How? The strongest shield I have been able to raise you could get through._ " Hiccup said before he was reminded of the bond by Zahnlos through the bond. " _It was an effect of us fulling bonding, wasn't it?_ "

" _Yes Hiccup, it was. Your two together now have a combined raw mental power that has not been seen since the earliest days of the dragons._ " The King informed them. " _Now I'm sure you have some questions about what else has changed since your bond, though first what do you know?_ " This time Zahnlos answered as he was the more knowledgeable of the two, but due to the bond both had access to the information.

" _I know that almost our entire minds are connected which allows each of us to feel the other's feelings, hear their thoughts, see their memories and feel some of any pain the other is going through. I know there are some others but I do not remember or I was not informed of them._ " Zahnlos responded to the King.

" _That is but the surface of what your new connection means._ " The King said to both of them before shifting his gaze over to Hiccup. " _You will see the most changes young one._ "

" _What changes will happen?_ " Hiccup asked, creating a mental image of himself as some Human Night Fury hybrid.

" _Nothing as drastic as I'm sure you're thinking. I'm sure you have already noticed you can change your vision, this is something that both of you can do. You can either see the world as you normally do or as Zahnlos does, through your eyes or his._ " The King stated. " _And the same applies to you Zahnlos. If either of you concentrates, you will see how the other sees or what the other is seeing depending on what you wish to see at that moment_." The two shared a look between them before looking back at the King.

" _The next one applies to Hiccup only. Another one of the effects of a full bond is the lifespan of the shortest living will be expanded to that of the longest due to you two needing each other to live._ "

" _What does that mean practically though?_ " Hiccup asked, not quite grasping what he had been told.

" _It means that you will live as long as me!_ " Zahnlos cried out as he started to dance around his rider in joy. Hiccup joined his bond-brother in celebrating once it dawned on him what was said. The King smiled as he watched the two play around before interrupted their fun.

" _Calm down you two, there is still more for me to tell you._ " The King told them before waiting for the pair to settle down in front of him before he continued. " _The bonding and long life are not without their downfalls, however. You two are now a part of each other if one of you dies the other will suffer. That means I expect your two to look after each other well as I don't want to explain the effects of a death of a bonded to either of you._ " The boys shared a demoralized look before looking back at the King.

" _Anything else we should know?_ " Hiccup asked, interested in anything else their bond may have changed.

" _Nothing that I will not tell you now._ " The King responded. It was then that the King shifted his gaze up and Hiccup felt the wind shift behind him meaning a dragon had landed. Hiccup turned around to see his mother slide off Cloudjumper and run up and hug him as hard as she could and he could see the tears in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody. So, I've just kind of come to a natural stopping point in the chapter and also, I need to get this posted so here it is! So, I hope everything here makes sense if it doesn't Y'all know how to get ahold of me.   
> Semper Fi,  
> Thearizona


	9. Chapter 9

Hiccup didn't need to hear what his mother was saying as she embraced him in a hug that could have rivaled his dad's. Meanwhile, Windshear came flying down and landed next to Zahnlos.

" _I'm so glad to see you guys are awake and doing ok!"_ She chortled, causing the Night Fury to blush, known only to his rider.

" _Yes, you had us all worried coming back and immediately passing out,"_ Specter rumbled as he joined the growing group while Unole and Mason got off his back. The two riders approached Hiccup, Mason patted him on the back while Unole embraced him. Once Unole had let go of the young man Valka turned to the group.

**You scared all of us!**  She signed, which earned her a nod from the other two, who sighed and turned toward the auburn-haired man.

**I didn't mean to, sorry…** Hiccup responded to them. Valka just passed it off as if that was nothing.

**We know you didn't, but you are fine now. Why did both of you pass out?** Valka asked her son. Hiccup didn't respond right away, thinking about how he would explain what had happened.

**Zahnlos and I fully bonded.**

**What happened at the nest?** Mason asked, the most curious about what had happened of the three. At that same time, Windshear asked Zahnlos the same question.

" _What happened to you two before you guys passed out?"_ She asked, concern evident in her voice.

**We snuck into the nest and the mysterious cave. There are indeed other riders working for the Queen, two females and three males. All were gone at the time but after some time the Queen sensed us and chased us away.** Hiccup informed them, giving only general details, enough to sound convincing. However, both of them told Windshear the full story at almost the same time, which not only slightly overloaded the poor Razorwhip, but their bond was exemplified in the fluidity of their tandem explanation, unlike ever before.

**Then why did you two arrive unconscious?** Valka asked.

**The bonding process took almost all our strength which is why we were out for some time.** That answer seemed to placate their curiosity into the subject. And while Hiccup no longer partook in the draconic conversation, he followed it closely.

**So there are other riders working for the Queen? Why has she not killed them?** Mason asked as Zahnlos and Hiccup had made it farther into the nest then they had on previous attempts.

**Yes, I have no idea why she hasn't kill them but I have a theory,** Hiccup responded and the three adults made no move to interrupt so he continued,  **What if She has let them live as long as they lead the raids for Her? That would explain why the raids have become more effective.**

**But how? Which side do you think they would take if we were to attack the Nest?** Mason asked, always thinking ahead.

**I'm not sure how this works or where their true loyalties rest when it comes to the Queen, but I'm betting if push comes to shove they will care more about their dragons before Her.**

Zahnlos had just finished telling Windshear everything she wanted to know as the three adults shared a look between them.

**Thanks for telling us Hiccup. Now go get some rest, you deserve it.** Valka signed as she said something to the others and they turned and left, all heading back up to the cave were Penumbra was recovering.

" _So what's it's like to be completely bonded with somebody?"_ Windshear asked Zahnlos.

" _The only difference is that I can feel how Hiccup feels,_ " came the Night Fury's response.

" _And the same goes for me, being able to feel how he feels almost instinctively; there aren't really any words to describe it."_ Hiccup injected, glancing to Zahnlos.

" _I see. Well, you two must be tired, I will let you go get some rest."_ Windshear said as the two subconsciously drifted together, leaning on one another. They exchanged glances and Hiccup got on Zahnlos. With a quick nod to Windshear, the Night Fury leaped into the air, pulling toward their cave to rest.

**^*^One Time Skip Later^*^**

It had been a week since the pair had gone on their scouting run and bonded. In that time, they had become accustomed to the after effects of their bonding and Hiccup had grown stronger in his mental prowess. Not only that but Penumbra had healed up in that time as well. Talk had been going around about how to end the raids, with the hope of ending three-hundred years of war. Try as they did, no plan was put forth on how to kill the Queen that did not involve using the King as the primary method to kill her and killing outside of self-defense was something the King was very much against. Their plan was simple, capture the riders that acted as leaders of the raids which would effectively cripple the leadership of the nest and hopefully decrease the severity of the raids on the Vikings while allowing them time to think of a plan to kill the Queen.

**Ok, let's go over the plan one last time before we leave.** Valka signed to everybody after getting their attention. The rest of the group nodded and Valka continued.  **We need to try and get the riders away from the nest and back to the sanctuary. We know where their cave is and that the Queen is least observant once the raids have all come back so that is when we will strike. No direct contact with any of the other dragons or the Queen unless absolutely unavoidable. Get in, grab one of the riders and get out. Their dragons should follow after them if they truly have a bond.** The rest of the group, which consisted of Hiccup, Zahnlos, Mason, Specter, Unole, and Penumbra all nodded before everybody readied themselves for the journey. Once they were all set Valka gave the signal and the group took off into the night sky, heading towards the Nest to enact their plan.

At the same time, a very similar conversation was happening in the air above the archipelago.

"We can't keep serving Her… We all have to get out before something changes…" The rider on the Gronkle said, with the agreement of the other riders.

"We all agree on that point Earthen, but how are we going to do it? As soon as we try our brothers and sisters will get ensnared by Her again. Remember last time that happened?" The Monstrous Nightmare's rider, Blaze, responded, earning shivers from the group as they remembered the last time they tried to run away. It had been a horrible experience that had cemented their servitude, one they would never speak of again.

"What if we went after the raids? You knew She doesn't pay attention when She is feeding."

"That might work..." The Nadder's rider, Aqria, said. "Though if we do this, we have to be quiet and fast or she might notice us." She glanced to the Zippleback and its two riders, Spark and Boom, who mocked insult.

"Why Aqria, we would never think of pranking the Queen just before leaving," Spark said.

"It would be unethical," Boom stated sarcastically, to which the other three riders and their dragons glared at the Zippleback and its riders.

"Well as long as those two don't do anything stupid we should be fine," Blaze spoke.

"Then after the raids tonight it is." Aqria summed up before they all went their separate ways to "command" the raids.

Each group flew on into the night, blissfully unaware of the others' plans. One planning to try and run away, while the other to kidnap, but with the same end goal. While the Queen's Riders carried out their mission of destruction, waiting for the right moment to escape and be free from the monster that had controlled them for as long as they could remember. The King's Riders flew towards their mission of mercy on those who would seek to do them harm if they were to be discovered.

***^*A Few Hours Later*^***

The King's Riders arrived at the Nest just before the first of the raids returned. They circled at high altitude, waiting and watching.

" _Two of the riders have returned, still waiting on the other three,"_ Specter said as they kept circling the Volcano.

" _I see the other three coming in,"_ Penumbra stated after about a minute.

" _Ok, this is it. Once they all enter we wait for a few minutes before diving straight down the top of the volcano. Head straight to their cave, grab a rider and get out. Do not engage their dragons but let them follow if they want."_ Cloudjumper said as the three remaining riders, the Zippleback, and Nightmare riders, entered the Nest ahead of their raiding parties. They waited for the last dragon to enter the nest before starting an internal clock to track the time. The whole group waiting in the air silently, nobody saying anything as even though they knew no dragon from the Nest could hear them they still did not want to take the chance.

After a few minutes had passed, all the dragons could feel the influence that She sent out decrease to an almost unnoticeable degree. That signaled that the time to strike was now, so all the dragons stopped banking and dove straight at the mouth of the volcano in which the Nest was located; their riders following their signals and adjusting accordingly.

Being Night Furies and a Stormcutter they were quite fast in the dive. The group zoomed into the nest, sticking near the walls as a precaution and as soon as they reached the level of the other rider's cave one after another broke from the formation in short intervals so one pair was going in as another was exiting the cave. They had expected to need to quiet the other riders somehow so they couldn't shout out for help but that never happened. The only noise they made was a short grunt when grabbed but other than that they stayed quiet. It was in this manner that the King's Riders extracted the Queen's Riders in only a few short minutes before they were flying high above the ground.

" _Hiccup, we have company,"_ Zahnlos said as he looked behind them. Instead of turning his head around Hiccup used his new ability to see through Zahnlos's eyes to see a small group of four dragons flying after them.

" _Hey bud, I think I see saddles on them. Think they are the riders dragons?"_ Hiccup asked his dragon while looking down at the blonde haired female that was hanging in Zahnlos's claws.

" _Most likely. I don't think the Queen would only send four dragons after us to get Her riders back."_ Came the response from Zahnlos. Hiccup look up and around at the other three dragons flying in formation and the people hanging from grasped talons.

" _Agreed."_ Hiccup said before actually turning around to look at the four dragons following them. The riders dragons were slowly gaining on them as the group was only flying at cruising speed instead of their max speed. Hiccup turned back around to face forward but stretched his mind to behind him so he could connect with the dragons gaining on them.

Masking his presence, he felt for the emotions coming off the dragons and what he felt was something he had become familiar with; it was a combination of fear and longing. Fear for their riders and a longing to be with them once again. Hiccup had felt that same thing, but on a larger scale, for Zahnlos during the early stages of their bond whenever they were away from each other for longer than five minutes. As time went on the feeling subsided and they both learned how to deal with it when they did have to be away from each other for long periods of time.

After poking around the edges Hiccup decided to jump right in.

Hiccup the retreated back into his own mind and shared everything he had learned with Zahnlos.

" _What do you think we should do bud? Tell the others and decide what to do or don't tell them and keep flying?"_ Hiccup asked his friend as they kept flying along.

" _I suggest contacting the dragons that are following us and telling them what is going on so that they do not attack us,"_ Zahnlos said, causing Hiccup to glance back at the dragons chasing them while thinking it over.

" _That's a good idea Zahnlos, keep us flying straight I'm going back there."_ Hiccup told him before laying down atop the Night Fury and stretched his mind back to the four dragons following them.

" _I know you must be afraid but there is nothing to fear."_ Hiccup said to all four at the same time. The response from the dragons was a mix of questions about who was it talking to them and what was their plans for their riders. Hiccup put to bed those questions real quick while at the same time infiltrating their minds to clear them of the lingering influence of the Queen.

" _Fear not, we wish no ill will upon your riders nor upon you. As a gesture of goodwill, I have removed your connection with Her so you might live your life free from Her tyranny."_ Hiccup said, which got an overall pleasant response from them.

" _Then what do you plan to do with our riders?"_ The Nadder asked him.

" _Simple, we plan nothing. All we wanted to do was remove your riders from the influence of the Queen."_ Hiccup responded. That surprised the dragons as they had expected a more dastardly plan for their riders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is something of an importance that happened this chapter and how do you guys think this went? And yes, y'all finally get to see the gang, but they are not the gang you know and love. And in other news, I now have a Beta for this story!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, Chapter 10 of For The Deaf And The Telepath. I hope y'all enjoy it! There is a perspective change about halfway through the chapter but I don't announce it cause I wanted it to feel more natural than a hard cut, just a warning so Y'all aren't confused when it happens.

As the two groups flew towards the Sanctuary, Hiccup noticed something. When he had opened his mind to speak to the dragon's following him, Hiccup has noticed that there were more minds he could connect with then he would have thought. He didn't understand who or what they were when he noticed them but he had other things on his mind. It wasn't until after he had spoken with the Queens rider's dragons did he turn his attention back to the new minds that should not have been there.

Still laying down atop of Zahnlos, Hiccup decided to look at the closest of the five new minds. The mind of each individual dragon is different in both color and intensity, depending on many different things from their mental prowess to the species of dragon they are. These five minds all looked the same and it was something that Hiccup had not seen before. Encompassing the closest mind to get a good look, Hiccup still could not determine what it belonged to but it was starting to look slightly familiar.

Hiccup was about to touch the mysterious mind and was expecting some type of mental defenses to appear and stop him, as every living creature naturally had some form of mental defenses. This mind had none and it appeared that none had ever been constructed. Hiccup took one short little look into the mysterious mind, and what he saw surprised him.

" _Hiccup, our passenger is getting a little excitable,"_ Zahnlos said to Hiccup, bringing the boy back into the real world after he quickly checked one more thing.

" _Sorry, that was my fault. It seems that all the riders have a small amount of mental power. It seems like just enough for them to hear thought speech but only that."_ Hiccup said to his companion as the blonde-haired female stopped squirming about in Zahnlos's claws.

" _I wonder why?"_  Came the response from the Night Fury.

" _I don't know, if they were leading the raids then maybe the Queen did something to them at a young age to make it so they can hear her and the other dragons but not respond. I can only guess though."_ Hiccup responded, giving both of them something to think about, but given their bond, it turned into them think about the same thing. They stayed silent the rest of the way back to the sanctuary. It was only once they landed back at the sanctuary did they break that silence. The group landed on a ledge on the outside of the Sanctuary that had an opening that would lead further inside.

" _Zahnlos, can you get everybody attention for me?"_ Hiccup asked him as it would be faster and easier to sign as only his mother could hear the thought speech. The Night Fury did as he was asked and soon the three adults were looking at Hiccup along with their passengers.

**They did bond with their dragons and they followed us here.** That caused a bit of a stir in the group that understood him.  **They just want to be with their riders and mean us no harm.**

**How do we know they won't take their riders and go straight back to the Queen?** Valka asked Hiccup, worry evident on her face and in how she was signing.

**I removed their connection with the Queen, they no longer respond or see Her as their Alpha.** Hiccup finished just as the four dragons landed behind him on the ledge causing the Queen's former riders to go running straight to their dragons and both parties embraced one another in what was clearly a happy moment. After they finish the two groups of riders and dragons stand across from each other, stare one another down. After a few moments of staring each other down the blond-haired rider that Zahnlos had been carrying spoke up.

" _She is thanking all of us for freeing them from Her."_ Zahnlos translated automatically for Hiccup, " _But she says they have to leave to find their own path."_ Before Hiccup or anybody could respond to that the commanding voice of the King boomed through everybody's head who could hear it.

" _COME, SPEAK WITH ME."_ The voice echoed through their heads. Just as suddenly as the group wanted to go, they wanted to stay as they had never heard such a kind voice in their heads before as the Queen was always mean. The group started to make their way inside the Sanctuary, the King's riders in front of the group.

As they made their way through the winding pathways that made up the passages from the outside to the inside, the new riders noted that the core of the new place they were was made of rock, and not ice like the inside. After a few more moments the group finally exited the tunnels and entered the heart of the Sanctuary, where all the dragon and the King himself resided. The Riders were awestruck by how much bigger he was then the Queen, yet he did not force them to do his bidding like She did. It was then that both Hiccup and Zahnlos were knocked over by a sudden flash of silver and in their place was a Razorwhip.

" _Do you know how much I worried about you two!?"_ Windshear asked the pair as she sat on the duo and screeched at them.

" _We can imagine Windshear."_ Hiccup told he as Zahnlos echoed his sentiment, " _Now would you mind?"_ Hiccup asked her while gesturing to the fact that she was practically snuggling with the pair.

" _Oh, of course."_ She replied before letting them up. It was only then that the trio noticed the group behind them had either started laughing or were looking at them with curiosity extremely evident on their face. Windshear instantly became embarrassed upon looking up at the group and if she could, her face would be red as a tomato.

" _Did the plan work? Are these them?"_ Windshear asked Hiccup privately.

" _Yes, they are. We were on our way to see the King, you can join us if you want."_ Hiccup replied.

" _If you thought I wasn't going to join you then you're being silly."_ Came the response as the group got moving again with Hiccup leading the way, Windshear to his left and Zahnlos to his right. Everybody had their own thoughts and there was some whispering between the Queen's former riders. They soon exited out of the cave that they were walking in and into the Inner Sanctuary.

The Queen's former riders stopped in their tracks as soon as they exited the cave, in awe of everything. The green of the plants that were growing, the massive rotating spire of flying dragons, the relatively cold temperature, the white dragon that was even bigger than the Queen. They had never seen anything like it before, the Nest being in a volcano making it hot and as bland as the rocks that made up the walls.

" _COME."_ The voice once again rang through their heads as they were coaxed forwards towards the massive white dragon laying down in a lake in the middle of the massive cavern. As they walked forwards they noticed their escorts and other dragons bow in respect to the dragon. They stopped and stood in awe at the edge of a cliff as it lifted its head to be level with them. They all felt the urge to bow to the power and respect that he seemed to command.

"This is the great Bewilderbeast. Every nest, including your old one, has their Queen but this is the King of all dragons." The women said as the King frosted them with his breath. "It seems he likes you."

" _She is correct, I can sense the good in your hearts,"_ The masculine voice once again sounding in their heads. " _Therefore I welcome you nine to the Sanctuary with hopes you will stay and join our flock."_ The group of nine all looked at each other. This was what they wanted, someplace to settle down permanently that was far enough away from the Queen so that She would never be able to capture them in Her controlling grip. This Sanctuary was the perfect place that was everything they were looking for and more.

" _That sounds nice but how do we know you are who you say you are and not putting on a front?"_ The Deadly Nadder asked the King.

" _You think the King is like Her?"_ Zahnlos asked disbelief and a hint of anger in his voice. " _Cause I can tell you that He is nothing like that monstrosity who calls Herself a Queen."_

" _Be calm Zahnlos, their fears are perfectly valid and I understand if they wish to leave."_ The King said to the Night Fury as Hiccup was also mentally chastising his bonded for the rude outburst. The King could feel that they wanted to stay but fear of the Queen and being controlled like that again made them want to leave.

" _What if you were to stay around for a few days to observe our Nest then after that decided if you will stay or go?"_ The King suggested, not wanting the group of dragons and riders out in the world all alone. The group all turned together and started to talk amongst themselves, discussing the proposal that they had been given.

" _The sounds like a fair proposal, we accept."_ The Deadly Nadder responded to the King, acting as a spokes dragon for the group.

" _Wonderful! I will appoint Zahnlos and Hiccup as your guides while you are here."_  The King said, looking down at the pair that was standing before him before looking back at the group. " _I leave you in their very capable hands and paws."_ The King settled back down into his pool and the group of newcomers looked at Hiccup and Zahnlos.

"If you're our guide then I guess we should introduce ourselves." The blond hair rider of the Deadly Nadder, Aqria, said to the two who were tasked with showing them around the icy nest called The Sanctuary. The boy, named Hiccup according to the King, who looked to be around the same age as them made no move that he had heard them but the Night Fury, apparently named Zahnlos, which had carried her looked up towards them.

"You have to excuse him, he was born deaf." The women who rode the Stormcutter responded to them.

"What does that mean?" one of the twins asked.

"It means that he can't hear anything." The larger of the two other men said. "and because of this he can barely talk so he doesn't."

"Then how does he communicate with everybody?" The other twin asked.

"That is how." The larger of the two men answered them. It was then that they noticed the boy, Hiccup, start moving his hands and making signs with them towards them and the women who responded with a single sign.

"Looks like he is trying to swat a bug." Blaze, the Monstrous Nightmare rider, scoffed to himself as they watched the hands move about. His dragon smacked him upside the head as he saw Zahnlos look over at his rider with a death glare.

"What did he say?" The larger Gronkle rider, Earthen, asked her.

"He asked who you are, and since we are talking about it let me introduce us," She said before starting to gesture to the two men who were standing behind her. "Those two are Mason and Unole with their Night Fury's Specter and Penumbra. My name is Valka and this Stormcutter behind me is Cloudjumper, and those two over there are Hiccup and Zahnlos." Valka finished introducing everyone as they all looked at each other.

"Hello," Aqria said as she started. "I'm Aqria and this is my Nadder Stormfly. That is Earthen with his Gronckle Meatlug and next to them is Blaze with his Nightmare Hookfang. Finally are the twins Spark and Boom with their Zippleback Barf and Belch." While she was talking, Valka was signing all the information for Hiccup so he could understand the information.

" _Welcome to the Sanctuary Aqria, Stormfly, Earthen, Meatlug, Blaze, Hookfang, Spark, Boom, Barf, and Belch."_ They all heard in their head, but it didn't sound like the King. They all started looking around to see who had said that.

"Did he just say hello?" Valka asked them. "I'm sure he will explain everything if he wants but for now, Hiccup has the very similar abilities to that of any other dragon." The group looked at him for a second as if he was going to sprout wings and breathe fire but quickly stopped.

" _I'm not going to transform or anything."_ They once again heard in their head. " _Now if you'll follow me I'll show you around the Sanctuary and where you'll be staying for the next few days."_ With that, they were off with Hiccup and Toothless leading the group on a three-hour tour of the inside of the Sanctuary made of ice.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back we are for Chapter 11. Going to be short and let's just get right into it. This stays in the same perspective as that last chapter left off, the gangs. Well if you hadn't guessed already there you go. Like the last chapter, there is a soft transition but back to the normal PoV.

It had been a few days since the new group of riders and dragons had been rescued from the Queen and the Nest and they had spent those days observing how the King ruled over the Sanctuary. What they saw shocked them as they had grown up in the environment where every dragon in the Nest was expected to give all food from the raids to the Queen and then hunt for their own food during the day. It was completely different here. Instead of having to give all food from the raids to the Queen; the King provided food for his subjects by making it rain fish, literally.

"What took you two idiots so long? We were supposed to do this hours ago!" Blaze snapped at the Twins once he saw they had finally arrived at the meeting. They had planned to meet earlier in the day but neither of the Twins could be found and it was now approaching night time.

"Chill out man, we just lost track of time." Spark offhandedly said to him as the two sat down with their dragon behind them. Blaze made to respond when he noticed Aqria staring both of them down and did not want to be on her bad side, again.

"Now that everybody is here, we have to decide if we are going to stay in this Sanctuary or leave and survive on our own," Aqria said once the three settled down. "I think that no matter what we pick, we should try and free the others from Her control. Not having to worry about returning to Her, it's something every Dragon should know." The rest of the gang looked at her and they all shared a look. They had just agreed that rescuing their fellow dragons from the evil grasps of the Queen's control.

"Then if we are doing that then I guess we should leave. Cause I doubt they will want us coming and going while leaving dragons they don't know," Earthen suggested to the group.

"I guess it's decided then, let's go. I've had enough of this place anyways," Blaze said while standing up and making to leave.

"Sit back down," Aqria snapped at him, which he did under protest.

"If they thought that way then why would they bring us here and insist we stay? I mean they could have left us anywhere out in the wild." Spark pondered aloud.

"They could be holding us prisoners?" Boom responded.

"Then why let us walk around freely?"

"It could be a trick to make us think we aren't, then when the time is right we get trapped!" The other three teens ignored most of what the twins said in their crazy banter but every now and again, one of them came up with something that resembled actually coherent thought. Especially considering most often they ended up in sibling squabbles with each other that Barf and Belch would end up having to end, like this time.

"You know, they actually made a good point. Why would they bring us here and wish we would stay?" Earthen asked, trying to think about the bigger picture that was at play.

"Wells it's not like we can't ask them." One of the twins said from the tussle they were still in. The three other riders looked between each other and moving to separate the Twins from their fight so they could go do just that. Before they got close Barf and Belch separated the two and the group got on their way to find one of the riders that had helped rescue them from the Queen. It just so happened that they found Hiccup and Zahnlos first.

" _Hello, have you come to a decision about what you are going to do?"_ He asked the group in mind speech, something that they still had not gotten used to hearing from a human despite hearing it from their dragons, the Queen, and the King.

"Almost, first we have a few questions to ask you," Aqria said to the pair. Hiccup looked at Zahnlos expectedly for a few seconds before back at them.

" _Well then, ask away and I'll do my best to answer them,"_ came the response in their heads.

"Why did you take us away from the Queen?" Blaze asked suddenly and with a hint of accusation in his voice as if he was sad to have been taken away from Her.

" _Because it was the right thing to do. She is an evil tyrant that needs to be deposed and we figured that by taking out Her five top generals she would be weakened enough to give us some more time and allow us to come up with a strategy to defeat Her,"_ Hiccup stated rather matter of factly to the group.

"So it would be possible for us to use the Sanctuary as a base to try and free other dragons from Her tyranny?" Aqria asked hopefully.

"Ya, cause this place is like totally awesome!" Sparked added in from where he was standing. Hiccup looked over at Zahnlos and held the gaze with him for about a minute and they seemed to be discussing it if their body language was anything to go off of. The pair soon looked back at the group and Hiccup once again spoke up.

" _That is an issue you would have to take up with the King because it is his Sanctuary. Though honestly, I don't see any reason why he would turn down your offer to help us,"_ Hiccup told them. That made the group ecstatic as even though they had talked about leaving, deep down they all wanted to stay.

" _Hiccup is correct, there is no reason that I would deny your request to stay and help us in our battle against Her tranny,"_ The calm voice of the Great Bewilderbeast boomed through their heads. The group became even more excited and started back and forth between each other and the Twins even started headbutting each other and their dragon. Though Hiccup couldn't hear anything that they said or did, he could only see their celebration and sense their happiness.

" _Well I hate to interrupt the celebration but since you are to stay here on a but more permanent basis then I need to go over a few more things with you,"_ Hiccup said to them and they soon stopped their celebration and looked at him. He went over a few things, such as where the nursery was, the little nuances of how the pairs lived in the Sanctuary, and some other things that it was decided not to tell them unless they decided to stay there. Once Hiccup had finished he let the group continue to celebrate while he and Zahnlos went to their cave.

" _So how helpful do you think they are going to be?"_ Zahnlos asked his bonded as they made their way to their cave to sleep. Hiccup had been working on some more intensive mental exercises with the King and because of their bond, this had made both of them rather tired.

" _No doubt they will be helpful. Without their leadership, the raids should become more chaotic and easier for this plan of ours to work,"_ Came the response as they entered their cave.

" _I hope it works. I still don't like it."_

" _Oh, you worry too much you big baby boo."_

" _And you not enough, now let's get some sleep before you pass out,"_ Zahnlos said as Hiccup stumbled and ended up laid down in his wings with the pair soon falling fast asleep.

/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\

"Zahnlos! Where are you, buddy?" Hiccup shouted out through the heavy smoke that was surrounding him, trying to find his bonded. He didn't hear anything back but a loud raspy breathing that seemed to echo from everywhere.

"Zahnlos!" Hiccup tried again, but with no better results. This time instead of standing in place he started walking forwards, hoping he would come across something friendly sooner rather than later. No sooner had he started walking did he trip and fall onto something warm and scaley. Feeling around for something to identify who he had just fallen on, he felt the spines of a Nadder and something that made him horrified. Suddenly the world seemed to light up and Hiccup could see what was in front of him.

The dragon he had landed on was Stormfly, Aqria's Nadder, and she was covered in deep gashes which he had felt the moment before. Horrified and seeing that there was nothing he could do for her, Hiccup stood up and looked around and he felt like puking. Where he was standing was the middle of what could only be described as a killing field. Dead and dying dragons were spread out on the ground for as far as he could see.

" _See What Resisting My Rule Gets You?"_ Hiccup heard in his head as he dropped to his knees from the pain that it caused his mind.

"Who are you?" Hiccup shouted as the pain subsided. Getting back to his feet, Hiccup saw a massive shape appear through the smoke. Hopeful it was the King only to have that hope shattered before his eyes as the rough bulbous face of the Queen appeared through the smoke. Hiccup fell to the ground, the pain in his mind back and no spreading to the rest of his body.

" _You Know Who I Am,"_  She said to him while advancing towards him. Soon She was standing directly over Hiccup, who was writhing on the ground in pain.

" _I'm Sorry, Is That Painful?"_ She taunted him while lowering Her head to just in front of the boy. At that time Hiccup started screaming out in pain as it felt as if he was being stabbed over and over again.

"This isn't real, this isn't real!" Hiccup kept thinking as pain assaulted him. His eyes were closed, his lips pursed and he was hunched into a ball. ' _Come on Hiccup, pull yourself together!_ ' He thought as horrible laughter from the Queen filled the space.

"What do you want?!" He heaved when the feeling of being stabbed let up slightly. The massive dragon had its beady eyes trained on him.

" _Your Broken and Mangled Body At The Bottom Of A Ravine Would Be A Good Start._ " It grumbled.

"Zahnlos!" Hiccup shouted again. He really thought that this horrible creature was going to kill him in his sleep. "Zahnlos, bud, please where are you!"

" _Look Around You Viking, I Killed Them All,"_ The Queen gleefully roared." _No One Can Save You Now Little Viking._ "

"You couldn't have!" Hiccup heaved as intense pain coursed through his body.

" _You Will Find That I Can Do What I Want…Now BURN!_ " Hiccup's eyes widened as the gigantic maw started to fill with gas.

"Oh, Thor no…. Oh, Thor no…..ZAHNLOS!" He shouted one more time in desperation as the Queen let loose with her fire and incinerated the entire area. Hiccup bolted upright as his eyes snapped open, his bonded hovering over him worriedly.

" _Hiccup! Oh, thank Thor you're alright!_ " Zahnlos said as he gave a tentative lick. " _You were screaming for me in your sleep._ "

" _It was horrible,"_ Hiccup said as he turned over and hugged Zahnlos, letting the dragon wrap his wings tightly around the pair. Hiccup didn't say anything as he laid there crying. Zahnlos didn't say anything, neither of them did. Everything was going through their bond; emotions, feelings, the memory of the nightmare, everything. Nothing else was said for the rest of the night as the two fell back asleep, their minds intermingling and providing comfort for each other even after they fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as my Beta pointed out, I seem to love my cliffhangers, and then I pointed out both these new chapters have been nightmare cliffhangers….I don't know why it came out like that but its funny I think. So what did you guys think about it? Let me know what you think in the reviews, I love to read them. A big shout-out and thank you to a good friend of mine, Vala411 for helping me with the ending here. I had gotten a little stuck and she helped me get past it. Go read her stories, they are amazing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fast reminder that I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, idea, or characters (however much I wish I did); they belong to Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks. I only own whatever characters I create, and the plot of the story. That is all, and now back to your regularly scheduled program.

The next morning when Hiccup and Zahnlos woke up they simply laid there, enjoying the togetherness that came with Hiccup being wrapped up in Zahnlos's wings. The pair didn't move as they started to discuss the nightmare that Hiccup had the night before. The two were still using their bond to its fullest and every word that was spoken to each other was laced full of the emotions that were being felt by each.

" _How are you this morning Hiccup?_ " Zahnlos asked his bonded while nuzzling the teens head with his snout, concern running through their bond.

" _I'm doing fine,_ " Hiccup responded, reaching a hand up to rub the dragons head.

" _No Hiccup, you are not,_ " Zahnlos responded back at him. " _I can feel it through our bond that you are not fine."_ Hiccup didn't respond to Zahnlos with words but instead entered their mindscape and Zahnlos soon followed him in. When Zahnlos entered their mindscape, he found Hiccup in the forge that was attached to the house pounding away on some piece of metal as if it was going to reach up and bite him if he stopped hitting it hard.

"Hiccup," The Night Fury said as he walked up behind the teen. Hiccup stopped banging on the metal and looked back at the Dragon.

"I know what you are going to say. This bond does work both ways ya know," Hiccup snapped back at him. Zahnlos was shocked by the reaction from him. He had felt the anger and fear that was radiating off the boy when he walked up but Hiccup had never directed any of that towards him before.

"Hiccup, we need to talk about it," Zahnlos told him, sending supportive feelings towards Hiccup.

"No, we don't. I just had a nightmare, that's all. Lots of people have nightmares." Came the sharp response as Hiccup turned back to pounding on the metal, though this time it was with the thought and care of a blacksmith creating a new sword.

"But normal people don't have nightmares like that!" Zahnlos responded curtly. "I don't know anybody who has had a nightmare that was fueled by a giant, cannibalistic Queen dragon."

"So I have nightmares about Her, big whoop. Doesn't mean I need special treatment for it! I'm more than capable of handling things on my own." Hiccup fired back.

"Nobody is giving you special treatment Hiccup! I care and worry for you, my bonded." Zahnlos said as he rested his head atop Hiccups, forcing the teen to put down his hammer and turn around to deal with the dragon. "And what do you mean nightmares, how long have you been having them?"

"I said it's nothing, I'm dealing with it on my own." Hiccup once again snapped at Zahnlos and made to pick the hammer back up. Though before he could turn back around to grab it and get back to smithing, Zahnlos grabbed the young man by the back of his shirt like on would a pup and carried him out of the smith.

"Zahnlos!" Hiccup protested as said Night Fury carried the teen to a nearby field and deposited him onto the ground. "You know I don't like it when you carry me like that."

"I know but you needed out of there and I needed your attention," Zahnlos stated. "Now, how long have you had these nightmares."

"They really aren't that big of a deal." Hiccup started but was interrupted by Zahnlos.

"Hiccup, this is a big deal if you have been having the same nightmare constantly."

"But..."

"No buts about it Hiccup, tell me how long you have been having these nightmares." Zahnlos practically demanded Hiccup, knowing that the teen really did not like to worry others with his problems, no matter how important they may be. While Hiccup just stood there and didn't respond, Zahnlos let his tongue hang out of his mouth as an unspoken threat to lick stubborn teen until he got what he was looking for.

"Fine, I've been having them ever since we had that close encounter with the Queen." Hiccup finally admitted to the drake who he was almost completely bonded with. Zahnlos instantly tackled Hiccup into a hug, catching the boy off guard.

"Why have you been hiding this from us, from me?" Zahnlos demanded from his bonded as he tightened his grip on the young man nestled up against his chest.

"Because I wanted to avoid this response from everybody as if I'm some baby that can't take care of itself. Well, Gods damn it I'm an adult, I don't want to be treated like I'm still a child." Hiccup ranted at Zahnlos.

" _Let it all out Hiccup._ " Zahnlos thought out to Hiccup as the teen did just that for a quite some time. To the dragon's credit, he laid there and let his bonded rant until he had run his throat raw from all the talking.

"It's just so frustrating; being 17 years old and still treated like a young child." Hiccup lamented. "I want to get out there and explore."

"Hiccup, look into my eyes," Zahnlos said, looking down the teen.

"Why?" Came the response.

"Please." Zahnlos pleaded.

"Fine." Hiccup relented and looked up at the dragon's eyes. As Hiccup looked into them he felt himself getting drawn into them and soon found himself in one of Zahnlos's memories.

" _I know we are stuck in the sanctuary at the moment but I did a lot of exploring looking for you. It's only fair I share what I experienced while out there with you._ " Zahnlos said as the pair appeared in the memory, Hiccup riding atop Zahnlos as if they were exploring it for the first time together.

Meanwhile, Valka was starting to get worried that Hiccup and Zahnlos hadn't shown up around the Sanctuary yet. The pair would normally be up and about in time for breakfast but they had completely missed it today.

"Valka, I'm sure the two are just fine." Unole tried reassuring her.

"I mean it's not like he has a Night Fury to protect him or anything," Mason said sarcastically. At the mention of Night Fury, Penumbra and Specter raised their heads from where they were laying to look at the male.

"What? If anything had happened we would know about it by now unless one or both of them were incapacitated." He stated. Valka still didn't like the situation. In the two years that Hiccup and Zahnlos had been at the Sanctuary, they rarely broke their habit of being up around the same time as the sun. Currently, they were way past that by a few hours.

"Cloudjumper," Valka called out to the Stormcutter, "Let's go check on them."

"Valka," Unole called after her as she left but she was already gone.

"Good going Mason," Unole said as he whacked said male behind the head.

"What did I do?" Came the response.

"You know what you did, you got her worried about them even more then she was before."

"Oh did I now?" Mason said in a very sarcastic tone of voice. While those two were talking about if Mason knew that he made Valka worry more or not, Valka and Cloudjumper had already made their way to her son's cave.

"Hiccup, Zahnlos, are you boys in there?" Valka shouted into the entrance to her son's cave as once she had jumped off Cloudjumper. She waited a moment for an answer from one of them as she knew Zahnlos would hear here and either respond with a roar or tell Hiccup and the boy would shout. However, she didn't hear anything echo out from the interior of their cave so she rushed into the cave, Cloudjumper following close behind her.

"Boys?" Valka called out as she got into the main part of the cave, concern evident in her voice. As she walked further around she came to the sleeping area which was separated from the entrance and main part of the cave by a wall. Cloudjumper lit up the room with his flame and the two saw a bundle of black in one corner. Valka walked over to the lump of black that was Zahnlos and rested her hand on his head.

"Zahnlos?" Valka said as she patted his head, hoping to wake him up. It didn't work as the Night Fury did nothing in response to her stimuli. "Hiccup?" She asked thoughtfully as she looked down between the black wings at her son and got no reaction from either of them. She was about to shake Hiccup to try and get him to wake up since it would be easier to talk with him then Zahnlos when Cloudjumper butted his head up against her.

"What's going on Cloudjumper?" Valka asked as she got the feeling they should leave from her bond with the Stormcutter. Valka watched her dragon try to slowly but carefully make her move away from the pair laying on the ground.

"You want me to leave them like that?" Valka asked as Cloudjumper gave a nod and she got a yes through the bond. She sighed but decided that she'd heed his advice and leave them be. With one last concerned look at the two sleeping figures, she hesitantly made her way out of the room while being followed by Cloudjumper. Valka ended up sitting down just outside the entrance to the boy's cave to wait for them to wake up and exit.

It took a little while, well more than a little while actually, when Valka finally head any type of noise from the inside of the cave and then she could hear the approaching footsteps of both Hiccup and Zahnlos. She stood up and turned around to face the entrance and her eyes lit up to see both Hiccup and Zahnlos walking out of the cave as it had been a few hours or so.

**Hiccup, I was so worried about you when you didn't wake up earlier.** Valka signed at the boy before giving him a big hug. Hiccup didn't respond at first but did return the hug.

**There was no reason to worry, I was fine with Zahnlos. We were in our mindscape sharing memories.** Hiccup answered her, slightly annoyed at how she was hovering around him like a Gronkle.

**Is everything ok Hiccup?** Valka asked, noticing how when she hugged him he did not immediately hug back like normally but took some time to do so.

**Ya, everything is fine Mom.** Hiccup signed back to her.

**Are you sure?**

**Yes, mother, both Zahnlos and I are fine.** Came the response, agitation clearly evident on his face and in his hands as he signed.

**Hiccup...** Valka started so sign but was interrupted.

**Stop!** Hiccup starts to signed as he knew that his mother was going to ask for clarification.  **Can you…. Not?**  Valka was about to say something as Hiccup's agitation increased. He really didn't want to talk about it, not now at least. Before Vala could ask what he was talking about, Cloudjumper grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Cloudjumper?" She asked, looking up at the dragon. It was then that she noticed everything around her. Zahnlos had started to take an aggressive stance next to Hiccup, and where once there had been many dragons in the area, now it was completely deserted. She then looked at Hiccup, who looked at the edge between agitation and hate. Before she could say anything, Hiccup had jumped up on Zahnlos and the pair of them were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, Hiccup," Valka said as she just caught the tail end of Zahnlos flying out an exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge shout out to Vala411 for helping me get unstuck, TWICE! If it wasn't for her then I would still be stuck. Well, I hope this came out ok, not very sure about it. Please let me know what you guys think about it. Also for those of you reading this on AO3, welcome to the most current chapter I have posted, I'm currently near completion with Chapter 13 and will most likely start posting my other HTTYD story soon.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really don't know what I'm doing anymore. This is just kinda all flowing out. So if things take a weird turn, don't blame me cause I didn't do it. Also as I read back through the start of this I see that it kinda got real bloody real fast.

"Dragon Raid!" A shout rang out, one that echoed over the whole of Berk. A phrase that when shouted was capable of instantly waking people up and getting them moving faster than anything else. Soon after a large roar sounded from up high and the shapes of the Dragons started to become visible.

"To Arms!" A second shout called out from further in the village as the writhing mass of flying reptiles descended on the village of Berk, looking to steal anything that could be considered food. As they descended upon Berk, a symphony of war cries and the sound of metal banging rose up to meet them. To an outside observer, what happened next could only be described as pure and utter chaos; but to the Berkians is was almost like a dance.

Swords, axes, hammers, bolas and the occasional spear got swung or trust up at the raiding Dragons while sharp claws and teeth along with fire and Nadder Spines were coming straight back down at the defending Berkians. The two massive torches were lit and lifted into the air, illuminating more of the beasts in the air as the two sides collided.

Steel tore through flesh, the Vikings on the ground excellent at finding the weak parts in the dragons natural scale armor. Claws and teeth ripping through the feeble leather armor and wooden shields that the Vikings were using to defend themselves as fire and explosions roasted others.

"Fire!" the cry went out above the cacophony sounds of battle. While normally the fire brigade would be staffed for a few years at a time by the young teens who would be allowed out of the safety of the Great Hall in preparation for going through Dragon Training. However, with there being no teens in the town since that one raid almost sixteen years ago and Hiccups abduction almost a year ago, the oldest child was young Gustav who was only ten years old. This meant that the fire brigade was comprised of those who normally would be hiding in the safety of the Great Hall.

Stoick was moving throughout the village, checking on other Vikings as they fought back against the raiding dragons. As he moved back and forth through the village, he started to notice a change in the behavior in the dragons. They were acting more aggressive and less organized than in the past. More of the dragons were more desperate in searching for food or destroying buildings when compared to before. Before when there was the methodical search for food and protection of their fellow dragons.

"Hoark, what are we dealing with?" Stoick asked one of the night watchmen.

"The same: Nadders, Gronckles, Zipplebacks, and Helga said she saw a Monstrous Nightmare or two on the far side of the village." Came the response from the man.

"Any sign of that damned Night Fury yet?" Stoick asked, hoping the answer would be yes so he could finally have his revenge on the demon for taking his son.

"No sign yet Stoick," Hoark answered him.

"Fine," Stoick growled out, "Take some men over to the far side and see what you can do about those Nightmares."

"Aye," was the response from the man as he hurried off to do just that. Stoick looked up at the night sky to see some of the stars twinkle. It was at that moment, all alone in the middle of a raid, that Stoick felt the most exposed and vulnerable and he felt the weight of everything that had and was happening truly resting on his shoulders. This however only lasted a few moments before he picked up his hammer from where it had slid out of his hand and thundered back into the battle, ready to defend his home and revenge on what dragons did to his family.

High above the raid, unknown to Stoick and the rest of the Berkians, the was a Night Fury was circling the village. He and his rider were watching the raid devolve into the slugfest that they normally became. While the rider had no true attachments to Berk, other than one man, he still did not want to see the village burn or dead on either side.

" _Want to try this out bud?"_ Hiccup asked his best friend.

" _Not really, considering you made this idea up in the last few minutes,"_ Zahnlos said to his rider.

" _Oh come on, what's the worst that could go wrong?"_ Hiccup asked, sarcasm bleeding into this voice.

" _A lot actually, not that pointing them out to you would make you change your mind anyway,"_ came the response.

" _Oh quit your pouting ya big baby boo."_

" _Let's just get this over with,"_ Zahnlos responded, causing Hiccup to smile at the little victory. Hiccup then started to stretch his mind out across the raiding dragons; as his mind would reach each dragon he would simultaneously cut off the Queen's connection and then remove Her presence from their minds.

As they were being liberated from the Queen's control, they stopped raiding and started to circle around Hiccup and Zahnlos until all the dragons were free.

Meanwhile, on the ground, all the Vikings had noticed the sudden change in the dragon's behavior. How they dropped anything they had and started to fly up and circle the village in a rather large spiral shape.

"Keep watching them and be ready for an attack!" Stoick called out to the Berkians around him as he saw many of them using the respite to try and rest, which inadvertently took their attention away from the circling dragons. As the Chief went to find Gobber, by far the expert on the limited knowledge they had on dragon behavior, many of the dragons that were circling above roared.

All the Vikings grabbed their weapons and jumped up, ready for the intense melee to start all over again. Except, it didn't. With the Vikings looking on in shock, the entire raiding part of dragons simply flew away. So shocked were they, that they did not notice that all the dragons flew away in the opposite direction of Helheim's gate, where the Nest was. Nor did they noticed a single Night Fury hovering for a few more moments before following the departing dragons. As the last dragon flew out of view, a huge cheer rang up from the Vikings of Berk as they thought they had finally beaten back a raid.

"Gobber!" Stoick called out as he got close to the forge. "Do you have any idea what just happened?"

"I have no idea chief," Gobber said as he looked around at the rest of the villagers cheering, before whispering to his friend. "But it wasn't anything we did, I can tell you that. They seemed to be rallying before they flew away."

"Well don't let anybody know, they needed this victory to keep up their spirits," Stoick told him, patting his friend on the back. With that, Stoick left to start the processes of getting the village cleaned up and repaired after the raid.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Hiccup and Toothless had caught up to the flock of dragons that had formerly be enthralled to the Queen. As Hiccup looked over the flock he couldn't help but feel the sheer joy that was being radiated from the nearly one hundred and fifty dragons that were now flying towards the safety of the Sanctuary instead of living in fear under Her reign.

" _How do you think your mother is going to react when we arrive back with this lot in tow?_ " Zahnlos asked, curious to see if his bonded had thought that far ahead.

" _I bet she will be scared I did this on my own given how mother bear she was this morning, but the new dragons should keep her busy enough._ " Came the response, which would have sounded like a confident one to anybody that didn't have a direct connection to the teen's emotions.

" _You're scared of her reaction aren't you?"_  Zahnlos questioned.

" _No, I'm seventeen years old and while I understand she worries for me, I can take care of myself. Plus I have you with me."_ Hiccup said, leaning forward enough so he can wrap his arms around his Zahnlos's neck.

" _Ya, love you too Hiccup,"_  Zahnlos answer, the best he could really do given they were flying. As the two continued to the Sanctuary they just enjoyed the feeling of being together and flying. During the few hour long flight a few of the recently freed dragons from the raid split off and went their own ways, but none turned around and headed back towards Her. Once they got within sight of the Sanctuary Hiccup sat up in the saddle and they looked at the large blueish-green ice structure.

" _Are you ready to do this?_ " Zahnlos asked as they got closer, seeing Valka atop Cloudjumper and a few others exit the Sanctuary to intercept them.

" _Not really, but It's going to happen anyways,_ " Hiccup responded.

" _Brace yourself, I can already hear her shouting already,"_  Zahnlos informed him. Sure enough, Hiccup soon saw his mother and he could tell by her body language she was shouting at them. As they got closer she started to sign, forceful gestures conveying the same meaning as if she was shouting.

**Where did all these dragons come from? Please tell me you didn't raid the Nest.**

**I might have stopped a raid and these are the dragons from that raid.** Hiccup responded, waiting for the scathing response.

**Do you know how worried I was about you!?** Valka asked him, the two pairs now flying side by side towards the Sanctuary.

**Super worried I bet.** Hiccup sarcastically signed back at her.

**Hiccup, I wasn't there as you grew up because I was afraid you would reject me,** Valka started,  **but now that I know you took after me this whole time I'm afraid of losing you again.** This made Hiccup stop and think. Was having his mom, who he had only known for little over a year, worry about his health and wellbeing all that bad?

**I get that you are afraid of losing me Mom, I don't want to lose you either, but you can't keep coddling Zahnlos and I like we are babies. We need our room to spread our wings.** Hiccup said, hoping the analogy of a dragon pup learning to fly would hit home with Valka, who had spent more time around the dragons and their young than her own. By this time they had made it back to the sanctuary and were landing, giving Vala some extra time to think about what he son was saying.

Had she really been smothering the pair so much that they felt oppressed? While she didn't want to admit it, the evidence that it was happening was right in front of her. Did they resent her for it? That thought also came into her head, as ludicrous as it seems in hindsight, but it made sense that they might, given how they were talking and acting.

**I know you want to try and go back to me being your little boy cause you missed so much, but I'm not that small child anymore. If Zahnlos hadn't taken me from Berk I would be an assistant blacksmith under Gobber instead of his apprentice,** Hiccup told her, adding more for her to think about. As Valka looked at him, she saw both of her boys look towards where the King was.

**Go,** She signed before Hiccup had a chance to,  **We can finish this later after you have finished talking with the King.** Hiccup signed a quick thank you and I love you before closing the distance and giving his mother a hug. While it was only a short hug that was a simple means to conveying love, to Valka it meant that Hiccup, and most likely Zahnlos as well, held no resentment towards her.

"I promise I'll change," She said as Hiccup jumped onto Zahnlos's back and the pair took off for the 'Throne Room'. It didn't take them long to get there, both knowing the way almost by instinct.

" _Hiccup, Zahnlos, While I think it is commendable that you are trying to do something about the raids in a non-violent way; do you think that bringing all the dragons you free here is the best idea?"_ The King asked the pair.

" _I did not want the dragons to be enthralled once again by Her once again. This seemed like the best idea at the time that we were stealing the raid away from Her,"_ Hiccup responded.

" _While I certainly can see the long-term value of taking her subjects away from her, I don't think we can house all of them here."_

" _Then we will have to find another place to take them that is far enough away from Her that they don't go back."_

" _Indeed,"_ The King responded, the trio thinking about where they could leave any future dragons they take away from Her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if this is an odd ending, it's because I said I would get this out today and I just don't want to do anything cause it's cold rainy Saturday...perfect for cuddling with my blanket and a book or gaming. So the Semester has started and School sucks, like normal. But I'm now cross-posting this story on both Fanfiction, Wattpad, AND AO3. So that's been fun along with my Tumblr account, which if you were looking at it, last night I posted a small spoiler. Oh right, I have a Tumblr account now! Username is Thearizona-Writer.
> 
> Like always, if y'all have any questions at all you know how to get into contact with me. Drop a review and I'll see it!
> 
> Semper Fi,
> 
> Thearizona


	14. Chapter 14

It had been about a month since the first raid that Hiccup and Zahnlos had stolen from the Queen. Since then they had stolen another four raids from all over the Archipelago. The Queen was getting more and more desperate, the lack of food being brought back, and the dwindling number of enslaved dragons caused the raids to become erratic. Where before there had been almost a schedule to when the raids would hit each island, now it was completely random when She would strike but she was still predictable with where She would raid. That's why Hiccup had gotten a few Terrors to hid on islands that the raids would have to fly past to reach one of the villages and when they saw a raid coming, fly as fast as they could to the Sanctuary to tell Him, so he could raid the raid.

The group of riders that had come from the Nest had settled in nicely at the Sanctuary. Since they used to be a part of the Nest, it was decided that it would be beneficial to use them to help acclimate the recently freed dragons to not having the Queen constantly in their head. To help facilitate this, the King created a second ice structure a few minutes flying from the Sanctuary. There were a few dragons from the Sanctuary that had volunteered to help them out as well. It was here that Hiccup and Zahnlos were, checking on some of the dragons that were taking the lack of the Queen rather harshly.

" _Hiccup, Zahnlos!"_ The two looked out towards the Terror that was flying straight at them.

" _Sneaky, is there a raid?"_ Hiccup asked the terror, as sometimes they would get spooked by a group of dragons that wasn't a raid.

" _Yes Yes, big raid with many dragons!"_ The overly excited Terror said as it buzzed Hiccups head before landing on Zahnlos to rest. The two looked at each other for a second before Hiccup jumped into the saddle and like an arrow, they were off. As the trio winged south towards the archipelago, none of them could predict the events that were just set into motion that could not be stopped.

The trio arrived overhead just as the first wave of the raid started to dive in. Wishing the Terror well, Zahnlos and Hiccup started an orbit of the Viking village beneath them. The Queen had been getting smart with how she would raid. She would have the dragons attack instead of all together in order to prevent the duo from getting the whole raid at once. So, the two took to circling and finding the staging area in order to minimize the distance Hiccup would have to project in order to steal the dragons away from Her.

" _Hiccup, I'm not seeing any dragons lingering. The Queen must be getting desperate enough to start committing all the dragons,_ " Zahnlos said. Indeed, that was the case, with the losses that the pair had done to the ranks of enthralled dragons, the Queen was starting to get quite desperate for enough food to sustain Her.

" _So, Hiccup, how do you want to do this?"_

" _I was thinking we just hover in the middle like we normally do, I mean it's always worked in the past. And if she is as desperate as we think, then this should be relatively easy,"_ Hiccup responded. Zahnlos spared a glance back at the teen on his back.

" _Are you sure about this Hiccup? Remember that overconfidence kills and if anything can go wrong, it will."_

" _We'll be fine Zahnlos, you always worry too much when we do this."_

" _Because somebody has to worry about your scaleless hide."_

" _You do care!"_ Hiccup jokingly exclaimed, falling forward in his saddle till he was laying on the Fury's head with his own.

" _Ya ya, now sit back up cause we have work to do."_ Hiccup did so, but the smile on both of their faces didn't go away.

" _Ok, bud, let's get this done so we can go home."_ With that, Zahnlos went to hover over the middle of the village and Hiccup laid back and cast his mind out to all the raiding dragons. Just as he started to connect with the first couple of minds and rid them of the Queen's influence, the pair got blindsided by a Nightmare which almost knocked Hiccup out of the saddle. Concern and fear raced through their bond as they checked over each other to make sure they were ok.

" _What just happened? How did that Nightmare manage to get that close?"_ Zahnlos asked, wondering how the Nightmare had not only been able to sneak up on him but manage to get past Hiccup as well. Before Hiccup could respond, another dragon flew up and tried to slam into the pair. This time, however, Zahnlos saw it coming and managed to dodge the incoming Gronkle but didn't have time to dodge the Nadder that flew at them from the opposite direction. The hit from the Nadder spun Zahnlos around rather violently, as well as causing him to lose altitude before being able to correct the spin. Before he had even finished flattening out the spin, the Night Fury could feel something was wrong.

" _ZAHNLOS!_ " The cry for help echoed through his head as he also heard his rider cry out in both fear and surprise of being flung out of the saddle and towards the ground. Zahnlos drove right after him, pushing himself to go faster to catch up with Hiccup before he hit the ground.

" _HICCUP!_ " Zahnlos scream as he got closer, " _Look at me Hiccup, I'm going to catch you. Try and reach for the saddle."_  Hiccup did just that, trying to angle himself to grab the saddle as Zahnlos came within reach.

" _I'm almost there buddy, just a little longer,"_ Hiccup said, trying to almost swim in the air to get closer to the handhold Not paying attention to how close they had gotten to the ground, Zahnlos glanced down to see how close they were getting.

" _TOO LATE!"_ He screeched, moving to the right and grabbed Hiccup with his claws before flaring his wing in hope of staying the air or a soft landing. He could feel the fear that Hiccup was feeling from his front-row seat to their rapid descent, but he could also feel the confidence that his bonded was placing in his ability to get them out of this situation safe. Seeing that they wouldn't be able to stay in the air or land softly, at the last possible moment Zahnlos tucked Hiccup close to his chest and spun around to take the brunt of the impact on his back, using himself as a crash pad for Hiccup. The last thing either of them thought before impact with the ground was a concern for the wellbeing of the other.

Darkness. That was the first thing that Hiccup perceived after landing. Not only was the physical world around him dark, but the mental world around him was dark as well. Slowly Hiccup was able to start perceiving the world around him. First, he could tell that he was wrapped up in Zahnlos's wings and that the dragon was still unconscious from the landing. Second, the mental world around him started coming back. When he first woke up it was dark as a moonless and overcast night, but now the shiny stars that directed him to the mind of another were starting to shine through. However, there were very few minds nearby. Realizing that he would need to get out from the protective embrace Zahnlos had him in, Hiccup started to work his way through the wings to the outside. When Hiccup finally broke through, he saw the beginnings of daylight starting to shine through the trees.

' _This isn't good'_ Hiccup thought as he noticed the light. ' _And that's worse'_  he lamented when he noticed that the two of them were under a rather large net. Getting himself out from under the net, Hiccup then rolled it back so that it was off Zahnlos. Feeling across their bond, Hiccup could tell the rough landing had knocked the dragon out cold, but with a little prodding, he was able to get Zahnlos to start waking up. As the Night Fury started to regain consciousness, Hiccup was suddenly dragged away from the dragon.

" _ZAHNLOS!"_ Hiccup cried out as he felt himself get dropped a distance away from said dragon before being turned around to face the person who was dragging him. With a sword in hand and a helmet with long horns atop of it, there was no mistaking this man as anything but a dragon killing Viking, despite only looking a few years older than Hiccup. Hiccup could see the man was talking to him, but he couldn't hear anything the Viking was saying. It was then that Hiccup remembered where they had crashed landed, as the man drew his sword and started to advance on Zahnlos.

This prompted action from Hiccup, as Zahnlos was still trying to wake up from the fall. In addition to helping clear the mental fog that was preventing Zahnlos from waking up, Hiccup got up and went after the man. Tapping him on the shoulder, Hiccup was slightly surprised at the speed he turned around. Getting a better look at the Vikings' face, something was very familiar about the distinctive blue stripes over his left eye. Ignoring it, for the time being, Hiccup started to sign at the man, hoping he was the heir of where he had landed and knew the basics. It was something that was taught to every heir, so they could communicate with tribe member who had been forced to learn it due to loss of hearing or speech due to dragon attacks. Amazingly the man seemed to at least understand a few basic signs.

 **you mute deaf?** He asked a reasonable question when first coming across a stranger signing to you.

 **Deaf.** Hiccup responded.

 **Who you?** The other man asked a question Hiccup knew would be coming soon. However, Hiccup knew he would have to come up with something that wouldn't sound too suspicious and would take up enough time for Toothless to finish waking up. Which Hiccup could sense would be soon as he saw the Night Fury start shifting.

 **I forget.** He lied, trying to buy time.

 **Where you from?** Came the next inevitable question, but it was long enough.

**Everywhere.**

**What? I understand not. Where you from?** He now asked more forcefully, trying to get this small stubborn boy to answer him truthfully.

 **You no worry where I from.** Hiccup told him as he watched Toothless sneak up behind the Viking and knock him out with a blow to the head.

" _You doing okay there Toothless?"_ Hiccup asked him as they embraced each other.

" _Just fine, nothing like getting caught in a net and getting knocked out on landing before waking up to watching you stare down a Viking."_ Came the sarcastic response. As soon as he finished the Night Fury started licking Hiccup.

" _Oh come on! You know that doesn't wash out."_ Hiccup lamented.

" _And that is what makes it all the better, you will never be rid of my scent. Now let's get out of here before more Vikings show up."_

" _Okay, okay. Let me up you overgrown salamander and we can get going."_ Hiccup told him as he tried to wipe most of the Night Fury saliva off him. Getting up into the saddle the pair took to the sky and made best speed for the Sanctuary, blissfully unaware of the hand fate had just dealt them.

"Dagur!" A voice echoed through the woods, searching for the owner of said name.

"I'm here!" Came a reply as the Heir of Berserk walked out of the brush holding the back of his head.

"Are you ok? What happened out here son? I thought you went looking for the dragon caught in the net." The Chief, Oswald, asked his son as they started heading back towards the village.

"Something hit me in the back of the head, dented my favorite helmet and knocked me out," Dagur responded, taking his helmet off to look at the new dent in the back of it.

"Well did you at least find the dragon? Some people were saying it was a Night Fury caught in the net."

"Well it was a Night Fury, I got a look at it before I pulled that teen out from near it." That caught his father's interest.

"Teen? What teen. Nobody from the village went missing." Oswald asked in confusion, wondering if the concussion from the hit was making his son imagine things.

"Ya, there was a teen crawling out from under the net. He was deaf and claimed to have forgotten his name and was from everywhere. Made no sense at the time but then I got knocked out." Dagur told his father, starting to remember more of the incident and causing more confusion on Oswald's part. "And I'm pretty sure he left on the back of the Night Fury."

"You mean the Night Fury carried him off after knocking you out?" Oswald asked as he stopped and turned his son to face him.

"No, I'm sure I saw him riding the beast," Dagur responded, seeing his father's face harden. "Father?"

"Don't tell anybody here what you saw. We'll bring it up at the Thing next month." Oswald told him before turning to finish walking towards the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back. I know it's been a while, but I didn't do anything involving my laptop over winter break and it's now the first day of classes so I'm working on getting this updated on a more regular schedule. So, I tried something new and the signing in this chapter is closer to what actual signing would be. Something slightly hard though is the same statement "I understand" is said the same way for both affirmative and negative with body language being the difference you tell if it means "I do understand" or "I don't understand". So, there is your monthly lesson in ASL.
> 
> So, in other news, I now have a pat-reon account if you want to support me. I would very much appreciate it but understand if you don't as not everybody has the extra money to spend. Just go to pat-reon . com /thearizona (ya know after you remove the -) and there ya go! Also, I'm working more to keep my Tumblr account updated with my progress on new chapters. As always, leave a review with a question or just anything.
> 
> Semper Fi,
> 
> Thearizona


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